Ted Fisher Jr.

Ted is survived by his wife, Nancy Bonds Fisher;children, Ian Theodore Fisher, Colt Theodore Fisher and fiancé Melani Suzette Zimmerman, Morgan Fisher Jones and son-in-law Austin James Jones; and grandson Callan Bonds Jones (“Mr. C” as Ted liked to call him). He is preceded in death by his parents, Onree Theodore Fisher, Sr. and Louise Boone Fisher; and his brother, Donald James “Jimmy” Fisher.

Ted was born on March 26, 1948, in Charleston, South Carolina. His family moved a lot during his early years due to his father’s Naval service, eventually settling in Wilmington, North Carolina. Ted graduated from New Hanover High School in 1966 and continued his studies as an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW). He graduated from UNCW in1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Upon graduating, Ted followed in his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the United States Navy. He served four years as a non-commissioned officer. His brother, Jimmy, also served in the Navy. For his service, Ted was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal. Ted’s Naval service helped support his graduate studies when he moved to Augusta, Georgia to attend the University of Georgia Medical College. He was accepted into the Ph.D. program in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology. Ted became a teaching assistant and worked closely with the faculty, along with teaching the undergraduate medical students during their anatomy laboratory. It was during his time as a graduate student Ted met his first wife and they welcomed their son, Ian.

Ted’s original plan was to complete his Ph.D. and apply for a position in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia. However, the FBI had other plans for Ted. He applied for a position as a Special Agent and was informed that his skills would be better served on the street and not in the laboratory. Since a Ph.D. was no longer necessary for his role as a Special Agent, Ted successfully convinced the Dean of the Medical College of Georgia and the Chair of the Department of Anatomy and Physiology to suspend his remaining doctoral coursework and defend his research for a Master of Science degree. Ted defended his thesis, was awarded the master’s degree, and shortly thereafter began his four-month training at the FBI Academy in Quantico in 1978. As a newly minted FBI Special Agent, Ted was awarded his credentials and instructed to report to the FBI Field Office in Mobile, Alabama. This would be his first of four field offices he would work in throughout his FBI career. It was during his time in Mobile that another Special Agent was also starting her life in the FBI. Nancy Jane Bonds, from Seguin, Texas, graduated from the FBI Academy in a class shortly after Ted, and she too was instructed to report to Mobile.

Ted was no longer married at this point and immediately took a very strong interest in Nancy. They worked together on numerous cases, eventually dating and became engaged.

Ted and Nancy married on February 23, 1980, in Seguin, Texas. By this point, their FBI careers saw them transfer to Chicago, Illinois. They conducted numerous investigations against organized crime, corruption, and bank robberies. After several years fighting crime, and the Chicago winters, Ted and Nancy were transferred to New Orleans, Louisiana, having completed a long term case together in the City of Jazz. It was in New Orleans that the couple welcomed their son, Colt, in 1983, and their daughter, Morgan, in 1985. The couple raised their children in Slidell.

Ted’s tenure in New Orleans saw him rise through the ranks of the S.W.A.T. Team, and he also became a firearms instructor. As a S.W.A.T. member, he and two other Agents were injured in a shooting at the main post office where an employee had already injured numerous other coworkers. Ted and Nancy wanted to be closer to her family in Texas, and they eventually secured what would be their final transfer: San Antonio. The family moved to Texas in 1991 and built a home in Garden Ridge. Ted’s many investigations included responding to the armed standoff in Waco and assisting with the investigation of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Towards the end of his career, he worked on a Special Operations Group and investigated cases involving domestic terrorism. Ted retired from the Bureau in 2003 after 25 years of service.

Although his work in federal law enforcement kept him busy, Ted made sure to carve out time each season to crawl into a deer stand in South Texas. His love for hunting and being outdoors saw his children grow up in the deer stand, too. He taught them how to shoot rifles and stressed the importance of firearms safety. Ted’s passion for hunting took him on an African safari in 1991. He traveled to Zimbabwe to hunt leopard, cape buffalo, kudu, and numerous other wildlife. It was the trip of a lifetime.

After retirement, Ted worked as a private investigator alongside other retired agents, and he also assisted Nancy with her own investigation firm upon her retirement from the Bureau. One of Ted’s proudest forms of service was when he was given the opportunity to travel to Germany and teach surveillance techniques to members of our country’s special forces community. As much as he was interested in the special operations these service members carried out, it was Ted’s background in the FBI that captured the attention of the Special Forces and SEAL Team operators. They asked him question after question as to what it was like being an FBI Special Agent. He assured them it was nothing like The X Files.

Although Ted will be terribly missed, his service to our country will never be forgotten. He was so proud of Nancy and his children, and time spent with the family at the deer lease created some of his fondest memories.

A memorial service honoring Ted will be held on March 14, 2024 at 10:00 AM at Northeast Bible Church (19185 FM 2252, Garden Ridge, TX 78266).Pastor Drew Leaver will officiate the ceremony. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Ted’s life. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Operation Homefront (https://operationhomefront.org/), a San Antonio-based charity that offers assistance to military families. The Fisher family would like to thank Hope Hospice for their excellent care, and a special appreciation to Kelsey Holbrook, nurse and friend.