Chestertown resident Thomas Fisher III (Tim) passed away from cancer on Tuesday, August 8, 2023. He was 83 years old.
He was born on March 31, 1940 in Philadelphia, PA. His parents were Thomas Fisher, Jr. and Martha Burdick Fisher. He grew up in Gladwyne, PA and attended the Haverford School until he went to the Hotchkiss School as a boarder, where he graduated in 1958. He went to Princeton University and graduated in 1962 as an English major. Summers were spent in Mowgli and Monadnock camps and his beloved Nantucket.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to duty aboard a destroyer in Pearl Harbor for one year, followed by two years aboard a minesweeper stationed in Long Beach, California. That tour included a ten-month cruise in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.
His first civilian job was within the hospital ship "Project Hope". It was an international medical program, but his job was to operate the ship as a vessel and coordinate the logistics and supply, both medical and maritime. After seven years with Hope, he spent time with the federal government while applying for law school. He went to Villanova Law School from 1973-1976 and married his law school classmate, Pamela Holmes. He practiced maritime law in Philadelphia over the next 15 years.
In 1987, he and Pamela took an experimental two-year retirement on their 27' sailboat. They went up and down the intercoastal highway to the Bahamas, New England, and back down to the Virgin Islands and lower Caribbean before returning to the Chesapeake in 1989. He bought a home in Grasonville, MD and worked various maritime jobs. He bought a 39' boat and made preparations to sail to Europe. He sailed over four years as far east as Israel and south as Trinidad. He returned to Maryland in July of 2000 and has been living a retired life since then. This time has been filled with family and friends, sailing, singing in chorales and choirs, fundraising, rugby, book clubs, and travelling. It was a life lived to the fullest.
In addition to his beloved wife Pamela, he is survived by two children, James Fisher (Wendy) and Amanda Fisher Killen (Jay); stepchildren, William Holmes (Cam), Matthew Holmes, and Andrew Holmes (Alison); and eight grandchildren: Ellie Holmes, Billy Holmes, Geordy Holms, Catie Holmes, Peter Holmes, Lily Holmes, Alex Holmes, and Jake Holmes.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 26 at 11:00 am at the Presbyterian Church of Chestertown.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Presbyterian Church of Chestertown at 905 Gateway Dr. Chestertown, MD 21620 or to the Chester River Chorale at P.O. Box 461 Chestertown, MD 21620.
www.fhnfuneralhome.comPublished by Kent County News on Aug. 15, 2023.