Dr. Harry William Bischoff died peacefully at home in Seguin, Texas on December 23, 2015.
Bischoff was born May 15, 1922 in Evansville, Indiana to Harry Louis and Hannah Barbara Bischoff. He graduated from Reitz High School, Evansville, in 1940 where he played football all four years. Having studied mechanical drawing in high school, Bischoff went to work in the engineering department of Servel Refrigeration Company. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Bischoff and three other young men from Servel traveled to the armed forces recruiting office in Louisville, Kentucky to sign up and serve their country. He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard a few weeks later and was soon on his way to boot camp in St. Augustine, Florida. Although he had requested sea duty because he had always wanted to experience the ocean (a fascination that would continue throughout his life) his initial assignment was with the mounted beach patrol in Pampano Beach. After six weeks of patrolling Florida's Atlantic seaboard on horseback, Bischoff received orders for sea duty aboard a new destroyer escort, USS Rhodes that was being outfitted in the Houston Shipyard. He would serve onboard Rhodes while it escorted large groups of merchant ships to and from England, Wales, Ireland, France, Africa, Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, Okinawa, Pearl Harbor, Russia and China—the faster, more maneuverable combatant protecting the slow-moving convoys from enemy air and submarine attacks. When the war ended in 1946, Bischoff was honorably discharged from the service and returned to Evansville where he resumed work at Servel. It was during this time that he met Martha Helen Winders—a young girl from Kentucky who was working in the engineering department and attending classes at Evansville College. After some courtship, he and Martha were married in 1947.

For his military service during the war, Harry received four years of higher education benefits through the G.I. Bill. He attended what is now the University of Evansville, completing a Bachelor of Science degree in three years. He then used his remaining year of benefits to earn a Masters of Science degree in biology at Vanderbilt University.

While attending Vanderbilt, Bischoff applied to several colleges in the South for a teaching position and in 1950 accepted an offer from Texas Lutheran College in Seguin. For 41 years, he taught biology and other science courses at what is now Texas Lutheran University, retiring in 1991. During his early tenure at TLU, Bischoff earned a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. A botanist renowned in the field of phycology (algae) Bischoff published extensive research on the soil algae of Enchanted Rock. His published works also included discovery of a new species of fresh water algae found in the springs of Landa Park in New Braunfels that he named in honor of the late TLU president, Dr. Markus Rieke. Internationally respected as an authority on soil algae, Bischoff assisted the prestigious Central Institute of Restoration in Rome with the identification of a harmful microorganism growing on centuries-old murals in Italy. He also introduced the study of marine biology at TLU and led students on numerous field trips to the Texas Gulf Coast.
In 1959, Bischoff received an officer commission in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. He served as commanding officer of the Coast Guard Reserve Training Unit in San Antonio and later as group commander for the Galveston and Corpus Christi units. Bischoff served in the Coast Guard Reserve for 21 years, retiring at the rank of Captain.

Bischoff is survived by his devoted wife of 68 years Martha Helen, his sister Mary Giesler, brother Richard Bischoff and wife Marilyn, daughter Becky Gilliland and husband Michael, son Chris Bischoff and wife Patricia, son Tim Bischoff and wife Whitney, daughter Beth Raetzsch and husband Thomas, son Scott Bischoff and wife Farideh, grandsons Kurt Bischoff, Andy Gilliland and wife Kate, Austin Bischoff and Alec Bischoff, granddaughters Amy Labbe and husband Thad, Sarah Gilliland, great granddaughter Hannah Gilliland, great grandson Ascher Labbe, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Bischoff is preceded in death by grandsons Brent Bischoff and Michael Raetzsch.

Services will be held at Chapel of the Abiding Presence on the campus of Texas Lutheran University on Saturday, January 2, 2016 at 10:00 A.M. with Rev. Luther Oelke, Rev. Kara Stewart and Rev. Dr. Norman Beck officiating. Bischoff will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with military honors on Monday, January 4, 2016 at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to the Harry Bischoff Scholarship at Texas Lutheran University, 1000 W. Court, Seguin, TX 78155 or a charity of your choice.