Richard Edward Fischer

Richard Edward Fischer, a long-time resident of Costa Mesa, California, died July 8, 2019, in Santa Ana, California, at the age of 76.

Dick was born in Lima, Ohio, March 2, 1943. He was the second son of Louis and Lena (Shondel) Fischer of Glandorf, Ohio.

Dick graduated from Glandorf High School in 1961, and went on to earn both a Bachelors and a Masters Degree at Bowling Green State University. In 1965, he took his first teaching job in Elyria, Ohio, at Elyria High School. He taught history and coached athletics. In 1966, he joined the faculty of Bowling Green High School, in Bowling Green, Ohio, again as a history teacher and coach. He moved with his wife, Margie Tucker, and baby daughter, Colby, to Bakersfield, California, in 1968, and taught history and coached at Arvin High School in Arvin, California. In 1970, Dick moved his family to Fresno, California, to take a job as a sales representative, a career he pursued until he retired in 2017.

Dick was a sports enthusiast and an all-around athlete. He was a starting player on the Glandorf High School baseball and basketball teams. Later, as a coach, he was committed to helping young people develop their athletic abilities, putting good sportsmanship first. He was an avid golfer, a member of the United States Golf Association, and played in many tournaments. He ran his first marathon when he was 60 years old.

Wherever Dick went, wherever he worked, he made friends. He could find something in common with anyone he met. He was liked and respected by his students, fellow faculty members, and colleagues. He was warm, kind, patient, gentle, honest, and quick to laugh.

Dick was preceded in death by his parents and his daughter Colby Fischer. He is survived by his daughter Jamie Vorzimmer and three grandchildren, Viva, Susse, and Varick Vorzimmer of San Carlos, California; his brothers Jim (Tatiana) Fischer of Coral Springs, Florida, and Bill (Peggy) Fischer of Annandale, Virginia; his nephew Jimmy Fischer; nieces Julie (Fischer) Dorst, Lauren (Fischer) Moniri and Erin Fischer; step-niece Natasha Sikora; step-nephew, Julian Sikora; great nieces Jordan Dorst, Jamison Dorst, and Kayla Moniri; great nephew Cole Moniri; and step-great nephew Mason Preston.

A memorial mass will be said by Father Tony Fortman on August 9, 2019, at 1 p.m. at St John the Baptist Catholic Church in Glandorf, Ohio.

Memorial donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.