Doris Melanie Fischer

Doris, the most loving, caring, and tolerant Wife, Mother, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother is survived by her husband, Siegfried, her daughters Debra & Sandy, Granddaughters Jessica and Nicole, and Jessica’s Sons, Grayson and Wilde, and her favorite little Brother, Lutz Engelmann.

Doris emigrated from Germany at the young age of 11 with her Parents and younger Brother, Lutz, settling on a farm in Hagersville, Ontario, Canada, where the family worked hard to eke out a better living; there wasn’t much time for play. Yet, as a member of the Germania Club of Hamilton, Ontario, Doris was asked, in apparent recognition of her natural charm and beauty, to participate in a beauty pageant and was promptly crowned “Miss Germania” in 1960 and, just one year later, was crowned “Miss Soccer” of the City of Hamilton, Ontario.

In the early ‘60s, the family decided to move to the Golden State of California, settling in the San Francisco Bay Area. Doris landed a good job with Pacific Telephone where she worked for nearly 20 years in various assignments and particularly enjoyed her position as Marketing Specialist handling major Business Accounts and Military Bases’ communications needs.

Doris, a woman with an adventurous spirit, and an always positive, can-do, will-do, consider-it-done attitude… had better not ever be told that there was anything that she couldn’t or shouldn’t do as a woman. When she expressed a desire to learn how to fly airplanes, she was told by some ‘friends’ and relatives that she would be well advised to not even try. That’s all it took. A few short months later Doris earned her wings flying a Cessna 152 N49430, solo, as certified on May 19th of the year 1978, by Don Moore, Chief Pilot, Hayward Municipal Airport, with a Performance Rating of “Outstanding” to boot.

In the mid-eighties, after her daughter Debra left to pursue a Master’s Degree at Rutgers University, and daughter Sandy left to join the US Air Force, Doris was ready for new challenges. She joined Sieg Fischer and Larry Cheng as partners in a start-up business venture. The three business partners founded AGI Publishing, Inc. and decided to publish the “Valley Yellow Pages” in direct competition with the Pacific Telephone Yellow Pages.

Through much hard work and perseverance, Valley Yellow Pages turned into one of the largest, most successful, privately held independent Yellow Pages Directory Publishing Enterprises in the United States. Doris, as the Executive Vice President, built a most effective Sales Team that was made up of truly dedicated, smart, and hardworking sales employees that contributed most significantly to the company’s success under Doris’ leadership. She was truly loved and respected by all. When the Company expanded its footprint east to Florida, Doris singlehandedly built a great sales organization there as well.

As if all that weren’t enough Doris still found time to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the Better Business Bureau in Fresno, California.

On April 30, 1988, the business partners Sieg and Doris decided to marry and be Partners not only in Business but also in Life. And that partnership too turned out to be a most successful one.

A Chapel Service performed by Monsignor Patrick McCormick is scheduled to be held at 10:00 am, Friday, June 7, 2024, at the Whitehurst Funeral Home’s Chapel at 836 E. Nees Ave., Fresno, CA, 93720.

In lieu of flowers, you may make a donation in Doris' name to a charity of your choice.