Jean Philippe Sissener, age 79, born in Oslo Norway, passed away on September 24th, 2023, at his home in Houston, Texas.

There will be a private family service in memory of his life and accomplishments.

Jean was born 22nd of July 1944 in Oslo, Norway and was the youngest of two sons. Jean's father passed away in 1961, and shortly after, at the age of 17, Jean went to sea.  He excelled at seamanship and was fast tracked into the Norwegian Merchant Marine Academy where he was commissioned as an officer, initially as a First Mate and later as a Captain on Norwegian American Line (NAL) cruise ships sailing in the Atlantic and Baltic Ocean and between the various Scandinavian countries.   Jean met his true love, Elisabeth, on one of these crossings.  They married the same year and were married for 55 years until his death.  Jean is survived by his wife Elisabeth and their three children Thomas, Alexandra, and Jean André.

Jean was offered a position in the Oslo office of NAL and in 1976 was posted overseas to expand the company.  His family emigrated to Houston, Texas where he felt at home and lived for the rest of his life.  Jean was instrumental in developing a technique called "lightering" whereby crude oil from very large tankships that were too big to come into Gulf Coast refineries were offloaded offshore into smaller tankers that could safely come into port.  He worked in shipping for the rest of his career with multiple companies until he helped found Nordic American Tankers, a company that was later listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995.  Jean had a very outgoing and likeable personality, making many close friends in his business dealings.

Jean enjoyed hunting and fishing and spent many enjoyable seasons with friends and family at the Rice Ranch in Brady, Texas.  He loved horses and was a lifetime member of the American Quarter Horse Association, at one time owning five horses of his own.  He was fond of dogs and had been around them since childhood.  He is survived by his little adopted and faithful companion Ellie, who sits at home waiting for him to walk through the door any minute.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks instead that donations are made in Jean's name to the Norwegian Seaman's Church in Pasadena, Texas or to the Houston Humane Society.