John D. Fischer

John Davis Fischer passed away on October 7, 2024, a few days after his 81st birthday, following several years of declining health. He was born in El Paso, Texas, on October 2, 1943, the first son of parents Gideon and Helen (Davis) Fischer. Since his father was a mining engineer, John spent his early years in mining camps in Mexico and Peru. Schooling opportunities were limited in the mining communities, so in his early teens, John had to leave home and immediate family to further his education. He and his sister Marianne eventually moved to Austin, Texas, his father’s hometown, where he completed high school at St. Edward’s and a college education at the University of Texas, graduating in 1965.

John was in the Navy ROTC program at UT, and following graduation, he was commissioned in the U.S. Navy May 29, 1965. In his four years of active duty, he saw service first in the Pacific Theatre and then in Northern Ireland, achieving the rank of Lieutenant. He earned the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

After completion of his active duty, he trained for a career as a computer programmer and analyst, a wise choice in that rapidly expanding field. His computer skills were employed first in the Washington D.C. area, beginning in 1970, where he worked as a programmer for the Defense Logistics Agency. He took advantage of the opportunity to move back to Texas in 1982, accepting a computer analyst position at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. Thus, his service to our country that began with his time in the Navy continued until his retirement in 2002.

John was an avid tennis player and runner in his younger days and enjoyed playing golf, hunting and fishing. Later, he took up league bowling, often travelling with his San Antonio team to various national tournaments. He excelled in his bowling, rolling at least a pair of 300 (perfect) games!

His parents are deceased - Gideon in 1989 and Helen in 1985 - but he is survived by a sister Marianne Fischer and two younger brothers, William Louis Fischer and James Michael Fischer, sisters-in-law Ann and Christie, as well as an extended family of nieces and nephews. John was a faithful Roman Catholic all his life, making a point, even when travelling, to go to Mass; he attended St. Monica’s Church (Converse) until failing health interfered. We, his family, remember John as kind and quiet, generous with his time and energy when the opportunity was there to be of practical service to one of us. And he loved ice cream and a breakfast-type meal at IHOP!

A visitation will be held at Porter Loring Mortuary in San Antonio (McCullough Ave.), 12:30 pm -1:30 pm on December 6, 2024, followed later that day by a military burial at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, at 2:30pm.