Guy W. Fiske

1924 - 2021

Guy W. Fiske

September 28, 1924 - November 21, 2021

Guy W. Fiske departed this life peacefully on November 21, 2021, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

He was born on September 28, 1924, at his home in Upton, Massachusetts, to the late Frederick and Daisy Fiske.

At 17, Guy entered Brown University and immediately joined the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps, where he was commissioned as an Ensign. He was soon sent to Pearl Harbor and then to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater where he made several invasions of South Pacific islands as a Boat Group Commander. He was honorably discharged from active duty in 1946 and, as a dedicated patriot, remained in the Officers' Reserve Corps, being promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 1947. He returned to Brown University and received his BA degree in Mathematics in 1947.

Guy had a highly successful career in business. He was employed by General Electric and held numerous management positions in marketing. He subsequently became a Corporate Vice President of ITT Corporation, and a few years later, General Dynamics Corporation recruited him to become Executive Vice President and member of the Board of Directors. When asked to serve his country again, he left General Dynamics to become Under Secretary of Energy in the Reagan administration and was later promoted to Deputy Secretary of Commerce. After completing his government service, Guy returned to the private sector and began buying, managing, and selling companies after restructuring them. He was especially proud of Ideal School Supply Company, which was purchased from Westinghouse with the financial support of Brentwood Associates and sold to the Tribune Company of Chicago.

Guy loved playing games, especially cards. He was passionate about golf and won numerous tournaments. Mr. Fiske was an accomplished artist and took lessons until the week before he died. His family and friends are the proud owners of many of his paintings. He loved to travel and saw much of the world with his wife, Jacqueline, the love of his life, who predeceased him. A lifelong Republican, Mr. Fiske loved elephants, and his trip to Africa at 71 years old was one of his favorite adventures.

A philanthropist and visionary, Guy was extremely generous. He encouraged people to follow their dreams and start businesses. He could almost always be found with a book or a magazine in his hands and read everything from Harry Potter to Scientific American. Guy had a great imagination, impressing and entertaining his family with his drawings and fantastical tales. Later in life, he authored an autobiography, "Age Changes the Game," as well as children's books, many of which he co-authored with his granddaughter, Jacquelyn. Curious, mischievous, witty, kind-hearted, fun and thoughtful, he was inspirational and is already greatly missed.

He leaves behind a family who loved him dearly, his daughter, Jacqui Fiske; Lazo and her husband, John Lazo, of Charlottesville, Virginia, and granddaughter, Jacquelyn Lazo Fernstrom; his daughter, Melinda and her husband, Herbert Winslow, of Moyock, North Carolina, and grandson, Matthew Winslow; and his daughter, Melissa Oglesby of Norfolk, Virginia, and grandson, John Oglesby and granddaughter, Jacinta James.

In lieu of flowers, please send contributions in his honor to the Fiske Drug Discovery Laboratory, c/o Deborah Steele, Department of Pharmacology, P.O. Box 800735, 1340 Jefferson Park Ave. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0735.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.hillandwood.com.