Frances Edith Fisher

Frances was a lake girl. She prowled the beaches of Muskegon as a youngster and never lost her love of the lake, the waves, the sand and the sun of Michigan. As a young mother, she thought nothing of filling the cooler with sandwiches and juice and heading west from Grand Rapids with five children tucked into the red Country Sedan station wagon to play in the waves at Holland State Park.

She and William Sr. further embraced the Great Lakes in the 1980s when they bought and loved and traveled in a 26-foot sailboat out of Muskegon. They made their way across Lake Michigan to Wisconsin, and well up the Lake Michigan shoreline. One dark and stormy night, she alone manned the tiller across the lake while spouse and son nursed seasickness.

Frances always enjoyed fresh food. When the children complained about snacks, she said, “There’s bread, and apples!” She is known for her tuna-fish salad, scrambled eggs, cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches. And wine.

She was a master seamstress, routinely called upon to make everything from curtains to slipcovers and the all the bridesmaid and flower girl dresses for a wedding in 1992. She loved fabric and almost any pattern, maybe to a fault. In fact, letting go of her fabric collection was a bitter day, indeed.

Frances was an avid reader and often could be found at the library at Brookdale scouring the pages of local and national newspapers. She was a political junkie who tied her star to the Republican Party as soon as she was able, devoting many years to the service of the Kent County Republican Party in Michigan.

Mostly, she was good natured, always ready for a party. She awoke every morning in a good mood.

Frances is survived by daughters Mary Frances Fisher, Charlotte, N.C.; Ann Elizabeth Fisher (Jeffery Martin), Worthington, Ohio; Carol Ellen Fisher, Franklin, Mich.; son William F. Fisher Jr., Ankeny, Iowa; grandchildren Robert Clare Barber III, Mich., Adam and Paul (Angelica) Vogt, N.C.; Sydney and Abigail Liepshutz, Mich.; Kristi Fisher, Iowa; Megan Fisher, Glasgow, Scotland; Whitney Fisher, Ohio; Liam Martin, Ohio; great grandchildren Robert Clare (Bo) Barber IV, Mich.; Daniel Vogt, N.C.; nephews Kevin, Kirk and Kyle Kelhofer, and niece Kirsten Kelhofer (Chris) Beda.

Preceded in death by her parents Raphael Milburn, Bernice (Babcock) Kelhofer, stepfather Leon Kelhofer; mother-in-law Ila (Mason) Maddox, son Daniel Leon Fisher, brother Daniel Kelhofer and sister-in-law Irene Kelhofer

The family wishes to thank the capable and caring people of Brookdale Trillium Crossing, especially the tender nurses in assisted living, and also Brookdale Hospice, especially Tawna and Abby. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations in Fran’s name to your local hospice provider.

Visiting hours are planned for Thursday, Sept. 6 from 5 – 7 p.m. with a toast to the words and melody of “The Parting Glass” at 6:30. Please stay and join us for one last libation with Frances.

A Catholic graveside service is planned for spring, 2019 in Ada, Mich. Arrangements by Schoedinger Funeral Home, Worthington chapel.