George Frederick Fisher: Veteran. Union Instigator. Grampy. Christian. Born Feb. 28, 1919, in St. John; died Jan. 4, 2018, in Guelph, Ont., in his sleep; aged 98
George Frederick Fisher.The Globe and Mail
George Frederick Fisher was the 12th (and final) child of a humble New Brunswick family. In his late teens he worked as an orderly in the Saint John Children’s Tuberculosis hospital, and spent much of his spare time hanging out with the young patients who were frequently abandoned by their families.
When the Second World War broke out, he volunteered immediately and served through the entire Italian Campaign as a bren gunner. He participated in the liberation of Holland and fought into Germany. George was known for pulling pranks and teasing his fellow soldiers, stealing pies from the mess hall and snipping the edges off one officer’s beloved mustache while he slept. He was also known for being well-dressed at inspections, even if he had accidentally sewn his pants to his underwear in his haste to tidy up.
After the war, George married Althea Harris, a lovely brunette who worked with his brother at a laundromat: “You give me her number, and I’ll take care of the rest,” he told his brother after setting eyes on her. He worked as a St. John transit driver before moving his family to Montreal to join the security staff at Canadian Pacific. In this position, he spent many hours guarding railway bridges during the FLQ crisis, and helped lead a successful unionization effort so that “the younger officers could have a better family life” than he had experienced owning to often unreasonable work demands.
George and Althea had two sons, Dennis and Neil. He served as a deacon and custodian at his church, and for many years he was also a faithful leader in a church-run boys’ club.
When George retired from Canadian Pacific, the couple relocated to Guelph, Ont., where Dennis and three (soon to be four) of his five grandchildren lived. George was an active Grampy, cheering on sport field sidelines multiple times a week, encouraging and supporting his grandchildren’s volunteer efforts, and bragging about them to anyone who would listen. In fact, anyone under the age of 40 was invited to call him “Grampy” and instantly welcomed into his heart.
It his later years he overcame his reluctance to discuss his war experiences and spoke several times at Remembrance Day assemblies in elementary schools. In 1995, he and Althea were warmly received when they travelled to Holland as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of that country’s liberation.
For the last years of Althea’s life, George was her principal caregiver as she succumbed to a 10-year battle with cancer. “She took care of me when I woke up sweating from the nightmares,” he would say. “It’s the least I can do for her.” After her death in 2008, he continued to live independently for almost a decade and continued volunteering at his church.
George was gregarious and outgoing. Everyone who met George came away feeling uplifted in spirit: a testament to his resilience, sense of humour and strong faith.
Dennis Fisher is George’s son. Beth Anne Fisher is George’s granddaughter.
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