Dennis Fisher, age 81, died on Sunday, January 3, 2021, at Parkview Memory Care in Portland. Dennis was born on May 16, 1939 in Aberdeen, South Dakota, to Francis and Magdalen Fisher (or Frank and Mack, as they were known to friends and family).
Dennis moved to Portland as a small child, following Frank who moved earlier to work in the Portland shipyards supporting the war effort. A 1957 graduate of Central Catholic High School, Dennis joined the United States Army, where he became a tank commander. Wanting to go faster, Dennis switched his tank for a Porsche and raced competitively throughout the West (often on dirt tracks that they dug out by hand).
Having children didn’t slow Dennis down, but it did change the mode of transport from Porsches to station wagons. Dennis turned his focus to showing his kids the outdoors – hiking, camping, boating, fishing, skiing, you name it, they did it. As a nearly 50-year resident of Gresham, Dennis was heavily invested in his adopted hometown, building multiple homes and overseeing the construction of the U.S. Bancorp Data Center near Marine Drive. After a career in bank data processing, including 1st National Bank, First Interstate Bank, Fred Meyer S&L, and Willamette S&L, he finally retired from U.S. Bank and settled into a life of travel with his wife, Margie. Together they visited such exotic locales as the Vatican, Ireland, Switzerland, and, yes, even Aberdeen, S.D.
When he wasn’t traveling, Dennis could be found in his wood shop or cheering on the Oregon Ducks. An avid sports fan, Dennis attended the 1976 Trailblazers championship game, was a Portland Timbers season ticket holder in the 1970s, and an U.O. football season ticket holder (until tickets became insane). And of course, he never missed an opportunity to watch the Indy cars at PIR or the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels at the Hillsboro Air Show. He very much loved fast things.
Dennis is survived by his wife, Margaret “Margie,” his sons, Martin and Matthew, his daughter, Michelle (notice a trend?), his sister, Carole, two granddaughters, Natalie and Sophia, and two grandsons, Brendan and Avery.
A Rosary Service will be held Tuesday, January 12, 2021, at 7:00 PM at the Bateman Carroll Funeral Home,520 W Powell Blvd, Gresham, OR 97030. A Burial Mass will be held Wednesday, January 13, 2021, at 11:00 AM at St. Henry’s Catholic Church, 346 NW First St., Gresham, OR 97080, followed by internment at Gethsemani Catholic Cemetery, 11666 SE Stevens Rd., Happy Valley, OR 97086.
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