Tim Sissler
2015 Alumni Achievement Award Recipient
Timothy P. Sissler, of Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, passed away June 16, 2017, at The Lutheran Home at Hollidaysburg after an extended illness.
He was born in Altoona, son of Jack E. and Hilda (McCracken) Sissler. On July 7, 1973, he married Ann E. Bryan at the Evangelical United Brethren Church in Bellwood.
Surviving are his wife; a son, Travis B. (Katee A.), of Apex, North Carolina; two daughters, Jennifer L. (Shawn M.) Hoyer, of Leesburg, Virginia, and Lindsey A. (Matthew J.) Riley, of Hollidaysburg; and two grandsons, Jack G. Sissler and Graham M. Riley.
He was preceded in death by his birth mother, Gabriel Welch; a sister, B. Marlene Houser; and brother-in-law, Gene Houser.
A 1968 graduate of Bellwood-Antis High School, Sissler went on to graduate from Penn State Altoona and Manahath College and successfully completed the Advanced Management Program at the Fuqua School of Duke University. He began his banking career with Mid-State Bank and Trust Company of Altoona as a management trainee, rising through the ranks to become director of commercial banking. He served as president of Central Bank of Hollidaysburg from 1994-2000. In 2000 he joined Reliance Bank, Altoona, where he formerly served as president and chief executive officer, as well as board member and chairman before retiring in 2015.
Sissler was recognized as an A.P. Giannini Public Speaking Award winner by the American Institute of Banking and was awarded the Gold Medallion Award by the RMA-Pittsburgh Chapter for his work and dedication to the credit industry. He also served as a moderator and coordinator of RMA’s annual Risk Management School and a past chairman of the Pennsylvania Bankers Association. He was named a fellow of Leadership Blair County and he received the Distinguished Citizen Award by Penn’s Woods Council of the Boy Scouts of America as well as the Blair County Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2014, Reliance Bank made a gift commitment to Penn State Altoona to create the Reliance Bank Trustee Scholarship in support of students who reside in Blair County. Reliance Bank has also supported Penn State Altoona’s intercollegiate athletics program and past capital campaigns. In 2016, in support of the Adler Athletic Complex renovation and expansion project, Reliance Bank made a $500,000 gift to name the building’s fitness center.
Sissler participated in Penn State Altoona’s Entrepreneur in Residence Program at the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence and served on the college’s Philanthropic Council. Penn State Altoona honored his career achievements and community involvement with the 2015 Alumni Achievement Award.