In Memoriam: Henry N. Bills III & Sue Minter

Henry N. Bills III	Sue Minter

The NOMMA family lost two of its own in the month of January. Henry and Sue were heavily involved with NOMMA and its members throughout the years and will both be tremendously missed.

*The following tributes were written by Todd Daniel, NOMMA executive director: 

Remembering NOMMA Legend Henry N. Bills III, 1934 - 2017

With great sadness, I must report the passing of Henry N. Bills III, 82, of The Wagner Companies. Henry, who passed away on January 7, will best be remembered for his contributions to the NOMMA Technical Committee. He was involved in producing several NOMMA manuals, including the Metal Rail Manual and was on the launch team for the NAAMM-NOMMA Metal Finishes Manual. His other role with the Committee was to advocate for consistent handrail dimensions with government agencies and standard-setting groups. For his advocacy work, he received the Julius Blum Award in 1993, and for his tireless volunteerism he won the Frank A. Kozik Award in 2005. In 2004, he was made an Honorary Lifetime Member, which was the same year he retired from Wagner after a nearly 40-year career. Henry and his lovely late wife Barbara Bills were regulars at METALfab events for several decades.

In addition to the Technical Committee, Henry served as a director on the NOMMA board several times and was a member of the Site Selection Committee. He also spent 30 years volunteering for the National Association of Architectural Metal Manufacturers (NAAMM), and he helped them to develop their library of technical manuals.

During his free time, Henry enjoyed sailing and held positions with several sailing clubs. He is survived by his children Henry Bills IV, Susan (Dr. Dean) Shepherd, Heidi (Dan Sr.) Ferrise, and Peter Bills, plus 7 grandchildren.

Remembering Super Volunteer Sue Minter

The NOMMA family grieves the loss of Sue Minter, 68, of Imagine Ironworks/B&O Machine & Welding, who passed January 11. The wife of James Minter Jr., Sue was a hard-working volunteer at METALfab events and served as hostess for the spouse program for four years. She will always be remembered for the painting class that she and Maxine Minter organized, which was always a big hit at the conference. In addition, she and her husband James were enthusiastic participants of the Buddy System and did a fantastic job of making new attendees feel welcome.

In addition to helping with the family business, Sue had a long and interesting career that covered teaching, banking, and journalism. She was a writer as well, and published a book. In her free time, her great passion was the arts, and she was founder and president of the Brookhaven Regional Arts Guild. She had a long history of performing with the Brookhaven Little Theatre and was also involved in many community nonprofit groups.

Among the survivors are her husband, James Minter Jr., son Walker, and mother-in-law Maxine Minter.