Read Stephen Richard Fischer's Obituary & Leave Condolences

In memory of

Stephen Richard Fischer

Los Angeles, CA, USA

August 14, 1954 - April 4, 2020

Aug 14, 1954 - Apr 4, 2020

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Stephen Richard Fischer, husband, father, “Opa,” brother and son, died at the age of 65 on Saturday 4/4/2020 following a 26+ year long journey with colon cancer. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Rosemary, and two sons, Damian and Jesse, daughters-in-law Savitri and Hanna, and three grandchildren. Because Stephen was able to take time to reflect on his death along this journey, he has shared his own reflections as part of his obituary.

“I am under no illusion that I was better than the average person in this world. I do know that I loved the world and its creatures and will be remembered in the bones if not by the thoughts. The things I look back on with fondness include: growing up in my family raised by Floyd and Valmere Fischer and my participation in the wider Fischer/Ahern family; sticking with high-school football even though there were few but very rewarding experiences; having a 1967 Camaro and making the neighborhood windows shake the time I drove down the street after taking its mufflers off; being a short-order cook at The House of Pies; working for US Forest Service in Eldorado National Forest; getting into Berkeley School of Forestry; learning Bacteriology and Immunology at UCB; learning infectious disease epidemiology at UCLA; meeting my wife-to-be at the LA Catholic Worker; becoming a Catholic Worker and being gifted with the chance to serve the poorest of the poor; marrying Rosemary; getting arrested multiple times for Criminal Trespassing while nonviolently protesting the activities of the military-industrial complex; meeting zen meditation teacher Jennie Hoang and learning of zen master Thich Nhat Hanh; having our first son Damian; teaching junior-high students at St. Brendan’s School; having our second son Jesse; getting a cancer diagnosis in 1989; and experiencing all the support and love that drew to me because of my illness.”

From his family: What we will carry with us is Stephen’s love and reverence of the natural world, his constant fight for the most vulnerable among us, his advocacy for nonviolence, his humility and quiet leadership and wisdom, his true grit in not only the daily grind of thriving and raising two boys into men despite decades of the pain of his illness, pushing to celebrate life’s milestones regardless of his suffering (e.g., from dancing with his wife dressed as Sonny and Cher at her retirement party, trekking a cross-country family road trip with two young boys seat-belted into the back of our pickup cab, speaking at both son’s weddings, his push to live to meet his three grandchildren, and traveling to the lands of our ancestors in Minnesota, Italy, and Ireland). He valued the importance of fostering native ecology, and held particular reverence for birds, for whom he created a beautiful habitat for on our family’s land. His dedication manifested with a thesis researching the Etiwanda Preserve in Rancho Cucamonga for Cal State LA, which aided in the preservation of Day Canyon as a “Habitat Preserve.” We will remember his huge smile and an infectious laugh, burned into our minds at the dinner table, re-living the latest movie rental line from classics, as well as annual Christmas viewings of his favorite movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Spiritual mentors that guided him included, Thich Nhat Hanh, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..

Stephen wrote further: “Let it not be said, ‘He waged a long and courageous battle against cancer.’ I certainly did approach it that way in the beginning. And I certainly didn’t feel I had much courage, but rather more fear of death. Death! That great boogeyman of our culture. With the help of great doctors, nurses, and therapists, my close supportive circle headed by my family - my dear wife that includes my sons and their families, my grandchildren Ike, Lou, and Leo, my parents and my 9 brothers and sisters, and my extended family and close friends, I experienced the healing I needed to give me the time I needed; the time I needed to see my life - which included my illness - as still a great gift, which was in a way also seeing my death as an essential part of it. I pray that each of you might have a similar experience, hopefully with less suffering than I both experienced due to the cancer and inflicted on myself out of ignorance. Your life will be enhanced, and that is a fact. Death can be, if you let it, the great motivator. John Donne said “...ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.” Look at my body now. Ashes to ashes. I have gone full circle - the circle of life. I was shown my end many times and am so glad I was - each time I learned more about the preciousness of my life and all life. You, go out from here facing your own end - as its time will come - and live “the examined life” to its fullest. Fear limits no longer but understand that they are a part of being human.

And remember, you didn’t lose me. You didn’t lose me. You don’t have a loss for others to be sorry about.

I leave you with one more quote, “ May you live all the days of your life.”
-Jonathan Swift

My love to you all, always,
Stephen

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on a future date. Details to be determined.
In lieu of flowers, please support a cause dear to Stephen’s heart:
Center for Biological Diversity
https://www.biologicaldiversi…
shorturl.at/dsv89

Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation
https://thichnhathanhfoundati…
shorturl.at/ajyM2

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