David W. Fisher passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on December 20, 2021. He was 78 years old. David was born during World War II in 1943 in Newport, Rhode Island while his father, Charles, was at Officer Candidate School soon on his way to Pearl Harbor. David and his mother spent the war years in Indiana with family. After the war, David and his parents settled in Front Royal, Virginia where he spent his elementary and junior high years. They then moved to Wilmington, Delaware with his two younger siblings, Diane and Bruce. David graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in Claymont and went on to attend the University of Delaware, majoring in Philosophy.
Early on, David demonstrated a curiosity about life and individuals, which became the hallmark of his life. Will Rogers, a once well-known actor and humorist used to say, “I never met a man I didn’t like.” David went him one better – he never met a man, woman, child or pet who didn’t like HIM. David had that presence and empathy that naturally drew people (and animals!) to him. He was kind, patient, interesting and interested, funny and loyal. You never had to ask David to do something – it would already be done and done to perfection.
David met his wife, Carol, in 1996 and they immediately hit it off. They became great friends, tennis partners and married in 2003. Carol’s daughter Katie and Marta, daughter of David’s great friends Hardy and Marguerite, always took credit for introducing them to each other, and deservedly so. During their early dating days, he would bike from his downtown Wilmington home to Carol’s Hockessin home. They explored the world together: Europe, China, Australia, New Zealand and the Southeast and Western US.
David loved dearly and helped Carol raise her two kids, Katie and Andy, to become mature, caring adults and parents. He was enormously proud of them. David was a seeker – of truth, beauty, and life’s meaning. He lived life to the fullest, grabbing it by the scruff of the neck and making it dance to his tune. He was an adventurer, whether hiking the entire Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia or traversing most of the Pacific Crest Trail — which runs from Mexico to Canada…through the Rockies. He rode his motorcycle around the country and pedaled his bicycle from Hockessin to the Delaware beaches, Maryland and Virginia. Rumor has it that he still has a motorcycle tucked away in a basement in Wilmington. One particularly memorable experience was rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon with Carol and friends – surviving a flash flood, searing heat, and assorted critters. After this adventure his unique view of life was immortalized in “Dave-isms” — sayings that made you think…and smile.
David had a great fondness, and skill, for ping pong and he played every Thursday afternoon with his buddies, DP and Scott, while they discussed politics and other world happenings. He cared for others and sought to make their lives better. He was the glue who kept the family connected. He was never too busy to make the trip to Virginia to see his Mom or call, write and visit his Mamaw in Sun City, AZ.
He found particular satisfaction in working at Longwood Gardens, delivering Meals on Wheels food to shut-ins, serving as Treasurer of his Homeowners’ Association and helping his parents, step-children, friends and neighbors with projects big and small. He and Carol also befriended and helped DuPont Asian Ex-pats who were unfamiliar with Hockessin area and who needed assistance.
David is survived by his wife, Carol, his siblings Diane (Jim) and Bruce (Beth), his stepchildren, Katie (Nathan) and Andy (Devon), grandchildren Bryce and Afton, and relatives and friends too numerous to count. We will miss his kindness, energy, good humor, intelligence, mechanical skills, patience, willingness to try or do anything, and love of life and people. He left us too soon.
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 11 am at Christ Church Christiana Hundred, 505 Buck Rd. Wilmington, DE 19807. The service will be live streamed courtesy of Christ Church for those who cannot attend in person. Masks will be required as well as social distance seating for those wishing to attend in person. A reception will be held in the church hall following the service.
In Lieu of flowers, please consider contributing in honor of David to: The Orphan Disease Center. Donations can be mailed to: Trustees of the University of PA, The Orphan Disease Center, Attn: Cystic Fibrosis Fund, Suite 300, 2929 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104. Donations may also be mailed to the Sunday Breakfast Mission, PO Box 352, Wilmington, DE 19899.
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