PAUL REED FISHER

Paul Reed Fisher, 85, died Wednesday, May 3, 2017, at home after a courageous two-year fight with cancer.

He leaves his wife of 60 years, Mary Anne (Logan) Fisher; his daughters, Ann Fisher and Lisa (Fisher) Teague; his brother, John Fisher; five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren; and many good friends. Paul was predeceased by his parents, Paul Tucker Fisher and Rose Amra (Reed) Fisher, and by his younger sister, Mary Margaret (Fisher) Naylor.

Born and raised in California, he attended UC Berkeley before serving in the Army from 1954 to 1956, as a draftsman with the 7th Army G-2 Air APO 46. Upon his discharge from the military he began working as a geologist for the Army Corps of Engineers in Sacramento. He married his wife, Mary Anne, in 1957. The young family spent most of their years in Livermore, California, where he was employed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He received a master's degree in Soils Mechanics from UC Berkeley in 1970, and then he and his family moved to Northern Virginia, where Mr. Fisher began working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Washington, DC.

Over the years, he advanced to chief of the Geotechnical Division of the Army Corps of Engineers where his expertise and reputation led him to be recognized as one of the leading geologists and soils mechanics in the nation, overseeing all civil engineering construction and projects. During those years, Paul and Mary Anne moved to Annapolis, Maryland, and learned to sail and eventually bought and lived on a sailboat. After he retired, Paul worked as a consultant for UTD and the Department of Defense. They spent several nomadic years touring the country before settling in Green Valley, Arizona.

Paul was first and foremost an engineer and belonged to the lucky few who genuinely love their work. He was an introvert who preferred to read or listen to music over socializing, though he also very much enjoyed spending time with family and trusted friends. He had a well-developed sense of propriety and was ever a gentleman in the best sense. He had a keen sense of humor and often expressed glee by rubbing his hands together while chortling. He loved classical and, oddly, bagpipe music; science fiction; and photography. He was a fan of technology in all forms and collected gadgets, as he called them, throughout his life. He leaves a large collection of Swiss Army knives, cameras, watches, calculators, pocket protectors and other gadgets all of which will be much cherished by his grand and great-grandchildren.

As Paul wished, he will be cremated and his ashes scattered over the Chesapeake Bay. At his request there will be no memorial service.



This obituary was originally published in the Green Valley News & Sun.