Donald Fisher
Donald "Don" Fisher, 88, of State College, died Thursday, January 12, 2017, at Mount Nittany Medical Center, in State College. Born May 3, 1928, in Punxsutawney, Don was the son of Ralph D. Fisher and Grace Dreher Fisher (both deceased). His mother passed on while Don was very young, and he was raised by Nell Fisher, his step-mother, and Ida Mae Fisher Walsh, his aunt. On November 22, 1958, Don married Barbara Majorossy Fisher, of Manhattan, New York City, who survives. Don also is survived by his six children: Carl Fisher, of Woodbridge, Va.; Therese M. Shaffer, of Lusby, Md.; Kristina M. Knox, of State College; Grace M. Lintner, of Manassas, Va.; Valerie M. Fisher, of Bellefonte; and Dierdre M. Fisher, of Orlando, Fla. He also leaves in-laws, 10 grandchildren, four great grandchildren, as well as numerous nephews, nieces, other relatives, and friends. Don's family roots are in the Mount Carmel area of Pennsylvania. Don grew up primarily in the western part of the state. He graduated from Bradford High School in 1946, where he played junior varsity basketball. Don served in the United States Army for three years, with assignment to the Signal Corps. His tour included WWII service time, where he was stationed in Frankfurt and Ansbach, Germany; Paris, France; and Heidelberg, Germany. Upon completion of his military service, Don attended Pennsylvania State University, and received a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering in 1954. Professionally, Don worked for Aramco, with duty in New York and Saudi Arabia. In 1957, he was hired by the United States Government as a Petroleum Engineer for the Federal Power Commission, then later the Department of Energy. He had assignments in Dallas, Texas; Oklahoma City, Okla.; New Orleans, La.; Chicago, Ill.; and finally, Washington, DC, where he retired from federal service as a GS15. While assigned to Washington, DC, Don and Barbara raised their family in Woodbridge, Va. During his retirement years, they lived in State College. Don was a Friend of Bill, with nearly forty years of sobriety. Per his wishes, Don was cremated. There are no scheduled services at this time. There will be a private family gathering this spring. The family requests that no flowers be sent. Memorial contributions may be made to: Centre Volunteers In Medicine (CVIM), http://www.cvim.net/ , 2520 Green Tech Drive, Suite D, State College, PA 16803. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College.