Robert Bob L. Fischer

Robert Leo Fischer, 79, Bismarck, died March 19, 2012, at St. Alexius Medical Center from complications following surgery. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 22, at Church of Corpus Christi, Bismarck, with Fr. Paul Becker officiating. Burial will be at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery south of Mandan. Visitation will be held from 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm Wednesday, March 21, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, where a rosary/vigil will begin at 7:00 pm. Bob, or "Leo" as he was known to many family members, was born on June 28, 1932, in Hague, ND, the son of Ferdinand and Barbara Leintz Fischer. Bob was nine years old when his mother died, and he then lived with his Aunt Liz Fischer and Uncle Martin Schall in Hague. While attending Hague High School, Bob participated in football, basketball, and baseball, and played the trumpet in the high school band. During the summer months, Bob worked for area farmers, including his Uncle John Fischer, driving tractors and hauling lots of Emmons County rocks. On his eighteenth birthday, June 28, 1950, Bob enlisted in the Navy and completed basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois. He spent four years in the Navy as a torpedo man on two aircraft carriers, the USS Bennington and the USS Monterey, sailing in the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic, and the Mediterranean. Following his discharge from the Navy in 1954, Bob lived in Bismarck with his Uncle Joe Fischer's family. Bob and his cousin, Betty Fischer, played softball and tennis. Bob went along to some the women's softball practices and games, and this is where he met Betty's friend and his future wife, Helen Schwab. Bob and Helen were married at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit Church in Bismarck on April 19, 1956. Bob and Helen moved to Minneapolis for a year, where their first child, Julie, was born. Three more children, Mike, Jean, and Rob, were to follow. They briefly lived in Moorhead, MN, then moved back to Bismarck in 1962. Bob was employed for forty years by Western Electric and AT&T as an installer of telephone central office equipment. His job took him to many small, remote areas of North and South Dakota, but he also spent eighteen months in Saudi Arabia and four months in Panama while working for Western Electric. Bob was a hard worker but always managed to take his family on a big summer vacation, often driving across the country to visit family and friends. Following his retirement, Bob enjoyed escaping the North Dakota winters, spending them with Helen in Florida and Texas. The past several winters were spend in Port Aransas, Texas, where their son Mike was often able to join them. Bob loved to walk on the beach with Helen, collecting interesting shells, and he always had a good fishing partner in Mike. Summer months were spent fishing, golfing, and experimenting with new tomato varieties in the garden. Bob also volunteered to help others in his community, working with the St. Mary's Carnival, Meals on Wheels, Open Your Heart, and the Forty & Eight spaghetti suppers. He was a charter member of Corpus Christi Parish in Bismarck and sang in the church choir for many years. He was always an avid reader with wide-ranging interests, from Russian history to his favorite author, Charles Dickens. Bob especially loved to spend time with his family and always enjoyed a good game of pinochle or dominoes. Bob had serious health problems in the last few years of his life, but he always faced them with courage and dignity. Grateful to have shared his life are Helen, his wife of 55 years; daughters Julie Bob Roswick, Bismarck; and Jean Mike Whalen, Apple Valley, MN; and sons Mike, Bismarck; and Rob, Anchorage, AK. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Sarah and Greg Whalen, and Jay, Gena, Julie, and Beth Fischer; great-grandchildren Kiona and Leo; and one brother, Daniel, Milwaukee, WI. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ferdinand and Barbara; one brother, Herman; and an infant sister, Elizabeth. Bob's family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the staff of St. Alexius for caring for him during his last days, and especially to the St. Alexius Kidney Dialysis Center for their kindness and care over the past four years. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to the St. Alexius Foundation Kidney Dialysis Fund.

Robert Bob L. Fischer

June 28, 1932 - March 19, 2012