Her legacy 'will live on': City Hall employees dedicate benches to former employee
Apr. 6—TUPELO — City employees on Monday afternoon gathered outside of City Hall near the rose garden to dedicate two benches to Terri Blissard, an employee who died last year from complications related to COVID-19.
Blissard, who died at 49 years old, was a grant writer and administrator for the city full time since 2007. The benches were constructed from donations collected by fellow City Hall employees that she worked with.
"This is a small token of gratitude that we can do as the city of Tupelo, but it will also be a permanent thing here in the rose garden," Mayor Jason Shelton said at a dedication ceremony.
Shelton, who had worked with Blissard since he was first elected in 2013, called the virus was unfortunate and unfair. Blissard was extremely cautious about following health mitigation guidelines and would often encourage him to enact proactive measures in the city to combat the virus.
Although Blissard's job might have largely gone unnoticed, she was responsible for securing grant funds for various projects around town that would often lead to new equipment for the fire department, installations at city parks and infrastructure repairs.
"She had been taken from us all too soon, but her legacy in the city of Tupelo will live on for decades and decades to come," Shelton said.
Terri Blissard's father, Harold Jahu "Jay" Blissard, attended the event and said that he felt like he knew many of the City Hall employees at the ceremony because his daughters would often talk about them and the city government often.
"Thank you so much," Jay Blissard said. "We miss her still, and I know you do too."
