George Charles Fisher

George was born on July 16, 1938, in Olympia, Washington to George Fisher and Florence Fisher (Hager). He was raised by his mother and stepfather, Kenneth Hager and lived his entire adult life in the same home overlooking the State Capitol building and Mount Rainier. He witnessed the creation of Capitol Lake (which he frequently fished) and construction of Interstate 5. George graduated from William Winlock Miller (Olympia) High School in 1956 alongside his lifelong best friend Michael Christian. After high school, George worked in Alaska logging and then enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1958.

While stationed at Camp Eschborn, Germany, George met his future wife, Renate Spannagel during a ski vacation in Austria. In 1964 George returned to the United States. He and Renate were married at Gull Harbor Lutheran Church on April 4, 1964. Years later, George volunteered his time and skill to help rebuild a brand-new church, which is still active today. George was then stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia; his platoon was destined to go fight in Vietnam. Fortunately, before being sent to Vietnam, George completed his enlistment and was honorably discharged on January 8, 1965, three days after the birth of his first son.

George briefly worked for the City of Tumwater, Public Works Department. His favorite part of this job was driving the city snowplow when it snowed in Tumwater. George began his career with the Washington State Department of Fisheries in April of 1966. He loved his job, which typically required weekly travel around the state. George had friends at every state salmon hatchery. He took great pride in the various projects he had worked on, including maintenance projects at the salmon ladder at Tumwater Falls Park. George retired in 1991 but continued to work on a seasonal basis for Department of Fisheries for another 10 years while also doing various temporary jobs in the off season.

George was a steadfast conservationist who held a passion for the outdoors and cherished nature and wildlife. He shared his joy of camping, hunting, fishing, and hiking with his wife, children, and grandchildren. George always had interesting stories to tell and would entertain his family and friends at campfires or evenings on the back patio.

Many of his mornings were spent fishing for trout with his children and grandchildren on Black Lake. He went deep sea fishing and on annual elk, deer and antelope hunting trips with his sons to locations ranging from Sekiu, the Queets River and the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming. Summer vacations for George included camping and hiking. Some of his favorite spots were Hurricane Ridge and Mildred Lakes in the Olympic Mountains and Schaefer Lake in the Cascades. George and Renate also enjoyed numerous trips to Yellowstone National Park.

One day while hunting in the early 1980s, George claimed his legs gave out and he decided to start running to strengthen his legs. This led to years of long-distance running that included the completion of over thirty marathons, as well as numerous other 10K and half-marathon races. His favorite marathons were the Victoria, B.C. Marathon, and the Whitehorse Marathon in Alaska. He would sign his whole family up to run 10K’s; his love for fitness was inspirational. Later in life, as running became too hard on their joints, George and Renate started bicycle riding and enjoyed many bike rides around the Pacific Northwest.

George was also very well-read and enjoyed reading a variety of books and local newspapers. He had an uncanny instinct for politics and current events and always seemed to know what was really going on behind the words of a newspaper article.

George is survived by his son Peter (Becky) Fisher of Rochester, Washington; his son Martin Fisher (Lisa Parks) of Olympia, Washington; his daughter Angela (James) McConnell of Daytona Beach, Florida; grandchildren Leah (Matt), Nolan, Kali, Denton, James, and Karl; and great-grandchildren Lucas and Nathan. He is also survived by his half-brothers, Lee Fisher; Edward (Judy) Fisher and Donald (Bonnie) Fisher.

George was preceded in death by his father; his mother and stepfather; and his devoted wife of 58 years, Renate.

A graveside funeral service will be held at Oddfellows Cemetery on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. A reception will follow at Mills and Mills Funeral Home at 1:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests considering a donation be made to Old Dog Haven or Rails to Trails.