William Conrad FISHER

FISHER, William Conrad William Conrad Fisher's entrance into life on January 4, 1928 was almost his exit. Doctors did not think he would make it but, thankfully, he did. Perhaps this is why he was determined to live his life to the fullest. His parents, William and Elsie Fisher were in Texas when he was born and later moved to the Midwest. He was big brother to two sisters, Fran Limber and Liz Ellis. Bill enrolled at the University of Minnesota but his education was interrupted by a call to join the U.S. Army. This is where he acquired his expertise in technology. He later graduated from the University and began his career as a systems analyst, programmer with various hospitals and companies. He met Darlene Emmert, a history teacher, and they were married in 1968. Soon they were a family of four with the birth of Alford William and Kenneth Conrad. Their home was in Evanston, Illinois and much of Bill's work was in the Chicago area. Outdoor life was important to Bill and his family. They were campers and hikers. Bill's wife, Darlene, died in 1995. When Bill's sons moved to Portland he moved west and settled in Spokane in 1997. By this time he had traveled extensively, mostly with Elderhostel. His Pacific Northwest family now includes Al's wife, Karen Christie and Ken's wife, Rachel Denny. In Spokane he joined the Corbin Senior Center because they had a hiking group. Darlyne Lamb, a widow, moved to Spokane from California in 1997 and also joined the Corbin Hikers. Bill and Darlyne became friends, found they had much in common and have been together for fifteen years. They had many adventures including Elderhostel. They shared a love of music, holding season tickets for the Spokane Symphony. Bridge, Cribbage and Scrabble were favorite pastimes. Bill was active in the Unitarian Church in Spokane as a member of the Problem Solvers. He volunteered as a tax preparer with AARP for many years and also delivered Meals on Wheels for his and Darlyne's churches. Bill was important in the life of Darlyne's five children, Paul, Nora, Anna, Sara and Maria, as well as their spouses, children and grandchildren. They were amazed at his knowledge of history, astronomy and geography and at his lack of knowledge of pop music and TV shows. The Memorial Service will be at Heritage Funeral Chapel, Sunday March 1st, at 1:30pm, at 508 N. Government Way, Spokane, 99224