John Fischer

1926 - 2021

Fischer, John G., Sr.

MADISON - John G. Fischer Sr. died on Dec. 31, 2021, at Agrace Hospice in Madison, Wis. He was born on April 11, 1926, in Kaukauna, Wis., to William A. and Jessie (Germanson) Fischer. Due to the Great Depression of 1929, he and his parents and brother Bill moved to Wisconsin Rapids to live with his grandparents, George and Mary Germanson. John grew up here and went to Lincoln High School. He was active in baseball and basketball in high school and at age 17 pitched for the high school, junior league and city baseball teams.

At age 18, World War II took him to Texas for Anti-Aircraft and Infantry training. In Europe he fought as infantry in Holland and the Ruhr area of Germany. He then traveled across northern Germany, which culminated with the German army in the Berlin area surrendering to the U.S. in April 1945. He was honored for his service when he took the Honor Flight with his daughter Jane to Washington, D.C., in 2012.

He attended the University of Wisconsin from 1945–1950 and graduated from Commerce School with a degree in marketing and merchandising. In 1953, he and Bryant Fisher started Fisher & Fischer Builders, Inc. in Madison. He was the president of Madison Builders Association in 1967, and in 1968-70 was awarded outstanding leadership as Founding President of the National Apartment Association.

On Sept. 27, 1949, he was lucky enough to marry Josephine Bomgardner, and they were married for 69 years. She was a fine actress and entertained Madison theatergoers for years, winning many awards. Together they raised a fine family. John retired in 1968, and he and Jo spent the next 30 years enjoying winters in Sarasota, Fla., and traveling the world, something they both enjoyed. John's family always came first, and his main objective was to see that everyone was taken care of.

John was preceded in death by Josephine in 2019 and his daughter, Jennifer (Robert) Kuckuk, in 2020. He is survived by Jane (Duane) Miller of Madison, John G. (Gus) Fischer Jr. of Stoughton and Sara (Jeff) Nelson of Kennewick, Wash. He is also survived by six grandchildren, Jesse Nelson, Gabriel Nelson, Isaac Nelson, Emily Kuckuk, Betsy (Kuckuk) Clough and Sam Kuckuk; and seven great-grandchildren, Jeff and Sol, Aeribeth and Emmett, Max and Jack, and Lydia.

John will be buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date. Donations in his memory can be made to Agrace Hospice. They provided John and his family with peace and comfort in his last weeks.