U.S. Navy Veteran Edward W. Fischer of Barrington, Formerly of Warwick, Dies at 91
Barrett & Cotter Funeral Home
U.S. Navy Veteran Edward W. Fischer of Barrington, Formerly of Warwick, Dies at 91
Born in Fromberg, Montana, to the late Joseph and Monica (Schulkosske) Fischer.
He is survived by his son, William J. Fischer of Barrington; his daughter, Susan A. Fischer of Johnston; his daughter-in-laws Kayleigh M. Fischer and Lori A. Jackson Fischer; and three grandchildren, Julia A. Gabarra, Benjamin B. Fischer and Madison B. Fischer. He was pre-deceased by seven siblings.
He lived in Warwick for most of his life. He was U.S. Navy Corpsman and veteran and was able to travel the world during his service. Mr. Fischer was a long-time volunteer for the Veterans’ Hospital in Providence, where he transported patients to and from their appointments well into his 80s. He’d come home and tell his family ‘I picked up two old-timers in Tiverton today’ because, in his mind, he didn’t think of himself as old. Many, if not most of the patients he transported were years younger than him.
He was the son of a carpenter and a jack of all trades. He was the person everyone went to in the neighborhood when they had a problem or needed a tool to get the job done. He worked hard his entire life to provide for his family without complaint.
He was a kind and decent man, but he didn’t suffer fools. He had a set of sayings that his family referred to as Montana-isms, particularly while he was driving in the 1970’s that will not be included in this printing.
Ed moved in with Bill and Kayleigh 6 years ago as they moved around the State of Rhode Island living in Pawtucket, Narragansett and Barrington. He went with the flow. He very much enjoyed dinner parties and telling stories of growing up in Montana, traveling the world in the Navy or how he met his beloved Ann. He was a great storyteller. With three generations living under one roof, he got to see his grandchildren daily and partake in nightly supper – like it used to be in the old days.
Ed was a prolific reader and could read a book a day and often did. He’d go to the library once a week and drop off eight books and pick up eight books because he knew he was going to get one ‘clunker.’
The end came very fast, but had his freedom, driver’s license and mental acuity to the very end. He avoided local senior centers because he in his words ‘the ladies are flirting with me because they know I’m still driving my own car.’
He had his share of maladies over the years and he would always apologize as if his ailment was a burden on others – he was from another era. In short, he was tough. He always put his family first and lived as a devout Catholic attending mass weekly. They don’t make them like Ed anymore.
Visiting hours will be held on Sunday, March 26, from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m., in the Barrett & Cotter Funeral Home, 1328 Warwick Avenue, Spring Green, Warwick. Relatives and friends are invited. A committal service, with military honors, will be held on Monday, March 27, at 10:30 a.m., at the Rhode Veterans Cemetery, 301 County Trail, Exeter. (Relatives and friends should gather just inside the cemetery entrance at 10:15 a.m.)