Douglas Karl Fish

Doug was born in Keene, NH in 1942, the son of Edward (Poisson) Fish and Esther McGrath. He grew up in the Canadian French region of Keene on Elm Street. He is predeceased by his older brother, Edward Fish. Douglas was married to Cynthia Vose as a teenager when they had two daughters, Mary J. Fish and Kimberly Rumrill. Doug married his third wife Barbara Donahue and shared his home with Barbara’s daughter Cindy Donahue and Barbara’s mother Ruby. Doug was predeceased by several good friends including his close friend, Leslie "Pug" Bowen.

Douglas was friend and mentor to many. At Keene High, Doug was captain of the football team. As a police officer at Keene PD at the age of 20 until his retirement, he met many a convict and friend. He had a way of communicating with everyone. He continued his career at Keene PD rising through the ranks of detective, lieutenant and captain. He enjoyed helping neighbors, tinkering with cars, skiing with Barbara with whom he had many adventures. Doug was an avid Swamp Bat’s fan with a lanyard for each season that they played. He was also a NASCAR fan and traveled with friends to Florida to see the Daytona 500 as well as the track in Loudon, NH. In his youth, he also enjoyed fishing and hunting. Doug’s career led him to the Cheshire County Sheriff’s office where he served as a detective and later Sheriff. He also served as a NH State Representative for a couple of terms.

In his later years, he continued his love of sports by watching his grandchildren (children of Cindy Donahue LaBounty) play sports (Timothy LaBounty, Stephanie LaBounty and Emily LaBounty). He would also take Barbara to Swamp Bats games and church dinners throughout the region. Doug enjoyed his coffee crew at the Dunkin Donuts in Swanzey where he would meet to chat every day at 3:30. Thank you to that group of friends who sent him cards. Doug also enjoyed local history and attended many events at the Historical Society of Cheshire County.

His love of police work caused him to ponder many an unsolved case and they continually weighed on his mind. He was featured in Detective Magazine for a Tewksbury, MA homicide case that he worked on with a NH link. Even as a dementia patient, he pursued the crime scenes in his mind to the humor of those around him. We thank the staff at Cheshire Medical Center, Thompson Unit for their dedication to nursing and working with him during his rapid mental decline. They put a "Sheriff Fish" sign on his door and humored him and his crime scene antics.

Survivors include his wife whom he was separated from, Barbara Fish of Chesterfield, NH and her child, Cindy LaBounty and her husband Mickie LaBounty of Chesterfield, NH and their three children of Keene, Stephanie, Timothy, and Emily LaBounty. Stephanie blessed them with three great-grandchildren, Ethan, Mariah and Aden.

He is also survived by is ex-wife Cindy Vose Cantlin (widow of Allan C. Cantlin) now in Keene, NH, and her two daughters, Mary Fish of Walpole, NH, Kimberly Rumrill and her husband, Alan Rumrill of Stoddard, NH with their two children, Nathan and Jennifer Rumrill of Stoddard.

He was close to his sister Mary Demers and husband David Demers of Lowell, Mass. Doug’s older brother Edward’s previous wife, Jayne Fish, and their two children Jay and Linda live in NH. He also has a sister, Jackie Moore from Tybee Island, GA who was predeceased by her husband, Theodore Moore.

A celebration of Doug’s life will be held on Sunday, June 9, 2024 from 2:00 to 4:00pm at the Foley Funeral Home, 49 Court Street, Keene, NH.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Historical Society of Cheshire County, PO Box 803, Keene NH 03431.