Euel Fish

Euel Fish lived life on his own terms; whether it was leaving home to find more opportunities, or returning for a family reunion, which would be his last time. Euel died from a brain hemorrhage on August 3 at Baptist Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. He was 77. Euel was born in Boliver, Tenn. The oldest of five, he was forced to drop out of high school in ninth grade to help on the farm. Euel loved school and having to drop out was one of his biggest regrets, but he earned his G.E.D. when he was in the Navy. He also took several Business and Law courses at Massasoit Community College in Brockton and a law course at Stonehill College. He joined the army at 16 and lied about his age. He was caught but honorably discharged for his service and later joined the Navy at 17 with his parent's permission. He traveled around the world in the Navy and was at Queen Elizabeth's coronation in1953. He was a golden gloves boxer while he served. His travels brought him to Boston, where he met his wife of 54 years, Frances (Alberto) Fish in 1952. They got married in 1955 and moved to Easton in 1960. Although he lived in Massachusetts for nearly 60 years, he continued to support his parents in Tennessee. In 1954 he joined Local 4 where he worked as an operating engineer for 43 years before he retired from Modern Continental Construction Corp. in 1996. He was an extremely talented and well known operator in local 4 and both of his sons, Jimmy and Jeff, followed in his footsteps, leaving a legacy there. He worked at Reynoldss Brothers Inc. from 1959 to 1972 before he started his own Gradall rental company, E & F Fish from 1972 to 1985. He also had an offshoot company, Pools by Fish, which installed swimming pools, from 1980 to 1983. He was a member of the Free Masons, the American Legion, Easton V.F.W., and the National Rifle Association. His father was a full blooded Cherokee Indian, making Euel half Cherokee. He was extremely proud of his heritage and made sure that all of his kids and grandkids knew about their Cherokee ancestry. Euel never forgot his southern routes. He traveled to Tennessee where he died, after attending a family reunion in Mississippi. In addition to his wife Frances, Euel leaves four children; Donna McDonald of Easton, Gail Fish-Tatarian of Lakeville, Jimmy of Eastham, and Jeffrey of Stoughton. He was a proud grandfather of nine grandchildren;Michael, Matthew, Meaghan, and Jared McDonald; Amelia and Abby Tatarian, Christian and Jody Fish, and Jeffrey Fish. He also leaves four younger siblings; Leonard of Whiteville, Tenn., Gracie Kerby of Henderson, Tenn., Franklin of Jackson, Tenn., and Laura Warf also of Henderson, Tenn. Funeral service was held Monday at 9:00 a.m. from Kane Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 605 Washington Street (Rte.138) Easton, followed by a funeral Mass in the Immaculate Conception Church, Easton, at 10:00 a.m. Interment with military honors will follow at the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne at 12:45 p.m. Visiting hours on Sunday from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Due to floral restrictions at the cemetery, donations in Euels memory may be sent to the American Cancer Society 1115 West Chestnut Street, Brockton, MA. 02301. For directions or condolences please visit www.kanefuneralhome.com.