Robert "Bob" Fischer

Robert L. “Bob” Fischer, 87, passed peacefully on Thursday March 24 in the VA Medical Center in Fargo, ND surrounded by his family and under the care of Hospice of the Red River Valley. Bob was born on April 2 1928 to Michael and Catherine (Vincent) Fischer in Bismarck, ND and was the oldest of nine children. He attended school in Bismarck, and at the age of sixteen he went to Seattle, WA, where he worked in a warehouse for two years and lived with relatives. He enlisted in the United States Navy the day after he turned eighteen and served from APR 1946 to JAN 1948. Bob was united in marriage to Elizabeth A. “Beth” Gailfus on July 29 1950 in Rolla, ND. They lived in Bismarck and Bob worked at the Garrison Dam. He later took a job with WM. Collins & Sons, where he worked as a diesel mechanic and also paved highways and roads in ND, MT and MN. The family traveled with Bob for work, made their home in Dilworth, MN during the winter and then moved to Fargo in 1959. Later on, Bob’s career was spent pursuing multiple interests. He obtained a certificate in refrigeration and air conditioning and he worked as a mechanic, truck driver, cemetery worker and more. Bob was a tinkerer to the core. If you were looking for Bob, he could always be found fixing things in his shop, the garages, or anywhere else he could. There was never the need for a repair man with Bob around. Bob was a perfectionist and he worked relentlessly on the family’s Fargo home, and did the same thing at the lake property on Big Cormorant every weekend. The lake home was his pride and joy, and the gathering place for dozens of loved ones in the summer. In the rare chance that Bob was not tinkering, he would be sitting on the deck listening to multiple family members talking around him, and that is how he left this life. Bob was an avid fisherman and a model airplane and model train enthusiast. He loved his family and enjoyed involvement with his son’s races, his grandchildren’s hockey games, and more. He is survived by his children: Bob Fischer Jr., Sioux Falls, SD, Kathi (Ken) Roseth, Fargo, ND, Don (Christy Staber) Fischer, Fargo, ND, Rebecca (Mark) Anderson, Brighton, CO, Jim (Chris) Fischer, West Fargo, ND and his two sisters, Darlyne Hoffman, CO and Jan Rolbiecki, CA. He was blessed with fourteen grandchildren and thirty-two great-grandchildren and numerous other loving family members. Bob was preceded in death by his wife, Beth Fischer, his parents, two sisters, four brothers, and his grandson Donovan Anderson. The memorial service will be at 2:00 PM Tuesday March 29 at Boulger Funeral Home, Fargo. Visitation will be held two hours prior to the service. Burial is at Riverside Cemetery, Fargo. Memories and condolences may be shared online at www.boulgerfuneralhome.com. The family is sincerely thankful to Hospice of the Red River Valley and the VA Medical Center nurses for taking care of Bob as if he were family.