Jeffrey Edward Fisher

Jeffrey Edward Fisher of Warwick, N.Y., and Montauk, a history teacher for 30 years and a lifelong blood donor, died on Feb. 22 at St. Anthony Community Hospital in Warwick. A pulmonary embolism following hip surgery was the cause of death. He was 75.

Mr. Fisher taught history at the Ramapo Central School District in Suffern, in Rockland County. He was an adviser to its Forensic League, and he received a Valley Forge Freedom Award in recognition of his ability to impart the values of the United States to students. Mr. Fisher also designed and built a house in Wurtsboro, N.Y., where he and his wife lived for 40 years. They eventually sold it and built another. 

Jeffrey Edward Fisher was born in Queens, on Aug. 1, 1941, the son of Edward P. Fisher and the former Amelia Rovtar. He grew up in several places on Long Island, where the family had many relatives, and he moved with his family to New City, N.Y., at the age of 13. There, he graduated from Clarkstown High School, going on to graduate from Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., with a master’s degree in English and another in economics. He also received a doctoral degree in political science and economics from the State University at New Paltz. 

Mr. Fisher’s family used to go to Montauk to fish when he was a boy. He was a lifeguard in Rockland County as a young man. After he and Karen Hollensworth, who survives, were married, in 1967, they spent their weekends in Montauk while still working as teachers. Once they retired, in 1999, they divided their time between Warwick and Montauk, where they loved spending time on their boat, which was kept at Gone Fishing Marina, and on the beach. According to his wife, Mr. Fisher had enjoyed teaching his grandchildren to ski, swim, and fish, and liked taking photographs of his family and the places they visited.

Mr. Fisher was an usher and longtime member of St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Montauk and a president of the Basha Kill Area Association, a state wildlife preserve near Wurtsboro. He and his wife traveled in Europe, South America, and the Caribbean, often with other St. Therese parishioners. As a lifelong blood donor, he was a member of the gallon club.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by their daughter, Liesel Daigle of Warwick, and three grandchildren. A sister, Jean Robinson, died before him. He is also survived by two aunts in Massapequa, Dorothy Fullert and Margie Monahan, and an aunt in Levittown, Louise Rovtar. 

In his memory, Mr. Fisher’s family suggested that friends and family donate blood to their local blood banks. A memorial Mass and a celebration of his life will take place at a future date in Warwick.