Jack Beldon Fisher
1927 – 2020
Jack Beldon Fisher, 92, passed away in Edmond, OK of natural causes. He was born at the Iowa farm of his grandparents, Victor and Maude Stuart Hull, to Lewis B. and Cathryn Hull Fisher. Although his father was career Army, he spent his entire childhood in Topeka, KS except for a year in Coffeyville. He graduated from HIghland Park High in 1945 and subsequently joined the Navy with best friend Richard “Mac” McClelland. With Mac’s help tying knots, he made it through boot camp, served on the West Coast and was discharged in 1946. Jack’s hobbies were playing the saxophone and chasing girls. While attending Washburn University he met Sarah Galbraith on a double date. Soon after, he was at Woolworth’s downtown asking her to have a Coke while she was working as a trusted “floor walker”. They eloped in 1948 and were married over 68 years until Sarah’s passing in July 2017. They had two children, Deborah and Bruce. While he was uncomfortable and awkward playing with children and didn’t enjoy children who couldn’t talk, he was later instrumental in developing their interests in cars and always supportive of their educational pursuits. (His constant encouragement extended to his granddaughters; he was so proud of their graduation from law school. His exuberance –and margarita glass– overflowed at their graduation parties as he met their classmates and friends and admired their accomplishments.) After graduation from Washburn in 1951, Jack Fulfilled his ROTC obligation through assignments in Wyoming and Germany and returned to Topeka in 1953 in time for Bruce’s birth.
Jack sold insurance and played sax in a number of bands in the 1950s. The Fred Meinholt Orchestra comes to mind because Fred and Kay remained good friends through the years. After working at the US Post Office in Topeka 1960-62, Jack finally found his calling. The US Air Force began a training program to develop a cadre of in-house computer programmers at Wright-Patterson AFB in 1961-62. He was selected. His class, filled with other veterans, learned FORTRAN and COBOL and proceeded to develop the first computer programs for our Air Force supply, logistics, transportation and finance mainframe systems. When Y2K was approaching, Jack and others returned to support testing to ensure no problems would be encountered. To stay out of trouble, Jack bought a farm in Medway in 1976 and hobby farmed until around 1990. The glamour wore off after a while and, sure enough, his back hurt from pulling Johnson grass as Sarah predicted. They enjoyed seeing friends at Pepitos and visiting brother Jerry and family who lived in Fairborn. After over 40 years in the Fairborn vicinity, they returned home to Topeka in 2004 and were blessed with many visits with Sarah’s brothers and occasional outings with friends. After Bruce’s death in 2014, Jack took on the primary caretaker role for Sarah. He moved to Edmond in 2017 and was able to enjoy visits with his grandchildren and great grandchildren through the fall of 2019.
Jack was predeceased by his wife, Sarah, son Bruce, sister Shirley Nipper and brother Jerry Fisher. He is survived by daughter Deborah Johnston (Jack); granddaughters Elise Ford (Tom) and Natalie Lea (Justin); great-grandchildren William, Lainey, Lyla Rose, Alexa and Sienna; brothers-in-law Paul Galbraith, Jim Galbraith, Karl Geiss; Fisher, Nipper, Galbraith, Harrington, Smith nephews and nieces; dear friends for “well over” 70 years Keith Gay and George Berlin as well as many other friends and extended family he has cherished over the years. Their calls and emails were a constant source of comfort and entertainment. A graveside service will be held at Ft. Leavenworth, KS at a later date.