Lucy Jean Fischer passed away on June 18, 2022 at Saddleback Medical Center with her husband and daughter at her side 6 days after she suffered a sudden and unexpected stroke. She was 78 years old, but still so vibrant and full of life that she had spent the weekend before attending her granddaughter’s recital with her family and studying for a geology course with her husband. She is treasured by her family and friends and is deeply missed.

Lucy was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania to Harold and Vivian Olsen. She was the second oldest of 3 siblings. Her brother Robert was 2 years older, and her sister Elizabeth was 13 years younger, but were close their entire lives. Lucy moved to Marmora, Ontario, Canada in 1951 at the age of 8 where her father supervised the iron mine for Bethlehem Steel. It was there that she grew to love nature and the wild woods and spent her summers helping her parents build the family cottage on Belmont Lake where the family has spent summers swimming and boating together since 1952. She was also a lifeguard during the summers and attended school through 10th grade in Canada.

She returned to the United States to complete high school at Emma Willard Prep School in Troy, New York with its rigorous academics and focus on etiquette and grace, qualities that she retained throughout her life. She went on to complete her B.A in Elementary Education from Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts. She became a first-grade teacher while working on her master’s degree and there in Boston met her future husband William (Bill) Fischer who was working on his PhD in Organic Chemistry at MIT. It was their interest in folk music and playing the guitar together that first ignited their spark. They were married on June 23, 1968 in Cornwall, Pennsylvania and were married for 54 years.

They moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania where they bought their first home and had their two children William (Billy) Todd and Janet Elizabeth. Lucy had a lifelong passion for children and education, but after teaching for 8 years she chose to stay home and focus on raising her own family as a homemaker and a wonderful loving mother. The family moved to Orange, California in 1979 and have been living in their same home in Laguna Hills, California since 1983 where they raised their children and helped regularly with their seven grandchildren.

Lucy loved her family and always had her heart and her doors open for others. Family and friends were always welcome. She fostered rich lifelong friendships and gave her time to whoever needed her. She was devoted to her children and grandchildren and used her teaching skills and creativity to bring imagination and love of history and science to life. She always had something fun and interesting ready to entertain her grandchildren in every room of the house and never turned down an opportunity to spend time with them.

Lucy had a very wide variety of interests that kept her active and busy. She played the piano beautifully and passed her musical interest onto her children. She loved all kinds of animals and had many beloved dogs over her lifetime. Lucy’s laughter was contagious and she was known for the occasional “giggles” that eventually led to uproarious laughter with her whole family. She enjoyed playing games, swimming, and reading. She was a great letter writer, excellent cook, and loved to learn. She was very social and remained connected to her neighbors through regular phone calls, visits, and bridge club.

Lucy and Bill loved to travel and to explore the natural world. They were avid birders together for over 25 years, after taking a first course in 1991. They took several international birding adventures and many California trips in their Airstream trailer. She loved their home in Laguna Hills where they fed the birds and enjoyed the wildlife of their beautiful hill. She and Bill shared many hobbies together including tennis, sailing, and skiing which made for wonderful trips and memories with her family. They traveled back to the cottage in Canada every summer with their family where she spent time with her sister and her family.

Lucy inherited an interest in their family history from her mother and together they collected numerous stories, photos and documents to create four large volumes of family histories which she distributed to family all over the country. She had cared for both of her parents in their later years and regularly commuted to Fountain Hills, Arizona where her mother was a widow for many years. They spent hours talking, sharing stories and making those family histories come to life. She maintained close ties with the Vipond and Olsen sides of the family and helped to host family reunions.

Lucy is survived by her husband William F Fischer, her sister Elizabeth Hanley of Peterborough, Ontario, her children William T. Fischer of Ventura, California and Janet Fischer (Schluntz) of San Clemente, California and her 7 grandchildren: Will, Erika, Brandon, and Audrey Fischer, and Adri, Emma, and Ryan Schluntz. Her older brother Robert Olsen of St. Louis, Missouri and her parents Harold & Vivian passed before her.

A celebration of life service will be held at Cornerstone Church in San Clemente on August 27th, 2022 at 11am with lunch following the service.

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