OUR CREW

Captain Bo Hause was born in Philadelphia, Pa. He graduated from Southern Regional High School, Manahawkin, NJ and joined the United States Coast Guard in 1982. Upon retiring from the USCG in 2011 he moved to Sistersville, WV where he became the Sistersville Ferry’s boat captain. He is an active member of the American Legion Post 67 as well as the VFW Post 6327. When he isn’t in the pilot house, Captain Bo can be seen greeting ferry passengers as they come aboard, giving treats to dogs in vehicles, managing the cleanliness and mechanical maintenance of the vessel and training deckhand employees. He attends monthly ferry board meetings and works closely with board members in a joint effort to provide transportation service to the citizens of the Ohio Valley. Captain Bo resides in Sistersville with his wife, Sue, who often volunteers her time to facilitate special events on the ferry.

Tom Meek is a retired military veteran and police officer. Tom’s military service includes time spent in Korea, in the middle east and as an Army Ranger during which time he was involved in a combat parachute jump into Panama. Following his military career he became a police officer serving extensively as a deputy sheriff in Georgia, also as a police officer in California. Upon retirement he lived in Montana until he eventually moved to Ohio to be near his wife’s family and to pursue his love of fishing and hunting. Tom worked for the City of Sistersville as a deckhand on the ferry the summer of 2023. He is currently in training under Captain Bo to learn to pilot the boat after which he will pursue the necessary certification to pilot the ferry.

OUR BOARD

Gary Bowden moved to Clarksburg, WV after graduating from Loyola University Maryland (1972) and the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland (1973). He spent 33 years in the radio, television and cable business prior to starting his own advertising and marketing consulting company in 2007. Bowden is a former campaign chairman for the United Way of Harrison County, past president of the Harrison County Chamber of Commerce, recipient of the West Virginia Broadcasters Association “Broadcaster of the Year” award (2003), and served eight years as a councilman for the City of Clarksburg. He currently serves as President of the Sistersville Ferry Board. He resides with his wife in both Sistersville and Clarksburg, West Virginia.

Weldon Williams is a native of Wetzel County, he graduated in 1982 from Magnolia High School, then from West Virginia Northern Community College, West Liberty State College and the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Business Education. Weldon is a member of the Church of Christ, Proctor WV. A licensed funeral director and has been on the board of the Sistersville Ferry for two and a half years.

Helen Buccella-Costa graduated from New Matamoras Stover High School in 1965 after which she has lived and traveled extensively around the United States. She has an Associate Degree in Mental Health. She has worked as an Administrative Assistant in both private and government positions including that of assistant to an Ohio State Senator. The work of which she is most proud is her work as a full-time volunteer with Arbor Hospice for seven years where she developed and managed the agency’s canine therapy department serving hospice patients in facilities and private homes. This earned her the Michigan Senior Citizen of the Year Award. She moved back to the Ohio Valley in 2020 because of her love of the beauty of the Ohio River Valley. She joined the ferry board two years ago to help keep the ferry serving the citizens of the Ohio Valley and to preserve a valuable piece of the Ohio River’s history.

Martin Parrish has been a resident of Tyler Country for most of his 62 years. He graduated from Tyler County High School in 1977 and attended West Virginia Tech. He is a veteran of the United States Army. Martin is a member of numerous civic and community organizations, some of which are the Friendly Lions Club where he was President and the Sistersville American Legion where he was an award-winning chaplain. He is an Elder in Sistersville’s First Presbyterian Church. He has been active in leading many youth sports activities and organizations and has worked tirelessly through the years to develop and support the Tyler Consolidated High and Middle School bands. He and his wife currently live in Sistersville. Martin has been on the ferry board for two years.

Mike Lloyd is a lifelong multi generational resident of Hannibal, OH whose grandfather ran the ferry between Hannibal and New Martinsville and during WW II he ran between Wellsburg and Brilliant. Mike is a River High School graduate. He obtained a Bachelor of Science, Education, Social Studies Comprehensive degree from Ohio State and he earned a Masters of Business Administration from West Virginia University. He has held a long list of teaching and administrative positions in the fields of academia, government and the private sector. Mike has contributed his time and expertise to numerous boards and organizations in Monroe, Wetzel, Washington and Noble Counties. He resides with his wife in Monroe County. A valued voice who speaks on behalf of Ohioans who utilize the Sistersville ferry, Mike has been on the ferry board for two years.

Rosetta Hamilton is a native of New Martinsville in Wetzel County. She is a graduate of Magnolia High School. Rosetta is a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and a resident of Sistersville. She is a 4th Ward Councilwoman. She has been on the Sistersville Ferry Board approximately one and a half years. She loves to volunteer her help in the community. She worked in the deli at Sistersville IGA store for twenty-eight years, 1994 to 2021. She currently works in the gift shop at the Olive Branch Animal Rescue and Refuge, Inc.

Janet Conn