Obituary of Glendon M. Fisher

Glendon Miller Fisher, 84, died Nov. 5, 2020 at Cooper University Hospital after a nine-day battle with COVID. Born March 8, 1936, to Altha and George Fisher Sr., he grew up in Fairton, NJ and lived there for most of his life. For the past few years Glenn and his wife, Priscilla, were spending half the year in Tarpon Springs, Fla., and the other half in Erial, NJ. Married right after high school, he was a father of four within five years. After working a series of factory jobs, Glenn studied electronics and ultimately was hired as an electrician for the Chrysler automobile factory in Newark, Del. In 1966, at age 30, he enrolled at Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) to earn an education degree, and then won a fellowship to get a master’s degree in special education at the University of Delaware. For nearly three decades he taught at schools in Bridgeton, Millville and Dividing Creek. Glenn spent his summers either helping his carpenter father build houses or working as an electrician for the Millville School District. An all-around handyman, he was known for his remodeling skills – in his own homes and in those of relatives and friends. He would get permission to tear down old buildings in order to re-purpose the lumber, and at one point paid a bank $1 for a two-story Victorian (the bank wanted to expand its parking lot), and then moved the house to a new location. Glenn built a small home on his property for his aging parents, and looked after them for the rest of their lives. During these busy years he also ran a Christmas tree farm and created a line dancing business called Country Stepping, teaching classes all over South Jersey. It was at a 2004 dance lesson that he encountered late-in-life romance. When he married the former Priscilla Lockhart in 2006, he gained not just a loving wife but also a second family who welcomed him with open arms and open hearts. Until COVID-related travel restrictions began in early 2020, the two of them enjoyed line dance cruises, trips to historic American sites like Gettysburg and Custer Battlefield, a vacation to France and the United Kingdom, and visits to family in Maine, Indiana, Nebraska, Arizona, Washington and Alaska. During the winters in Tarpon Springs the two of them rode bikes, danced, spent time with numerous Florida friends and hosted vacationing relatives seeking escape from the cold. Glenn’s other interests included ham radio, target shooting, gun collecting, gardening and reading. His family remembers him as a man who savored every moment of life, and wasted none of those moments. He taught by example: how to make do, how to figure your way around a problem if you couldn’t get through it and, most of all, that you should never give up. Glenn always had a smile and a “Hey, pretty girl!” or “How you doing, partner?” for all children and grandchildren. He was the kind of Dad and Pop-Pop who appreciated the simplest and best things in life: listening to music, swimming at Clark’s Pond or Lake Nummy, cruising the Sears sporting goods and tool departments, riding the back roads of South Jersey, enjoying a coconut-topped doughnut from Century Bakery or taking everyone out for custard. Preceded in death by his parents and his brother-in-law, Paul Vicari, he is survived by his wife, Priscilla; his siblings, H. Sue Vicari and George Fisher Jr.; his daughters, Debra Freedman (Lew), Linda Billingsley (Steve) and Donna Freedman; a son, Glenn W. Fisher (Fran); stepdaughters Lynn Maslanik, Dawn Menna, Christine (Joseph) Schiazza, Debora (Angelo) Duva and June (Joe) Stiney; 14 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren; and too many friends to count. Funeral Services will be private at the convenience of the family. A public visitation will be held at the PADGETT FUNERAL HOME, 1107 State Highway 77, Upper Deerfield Township on Thursday, November 12, 2020 from 9AM to 10AM. Interment will take place at Greenwood Memorial Park in Millville. Due to current regulations associated with the Covid-19 healthcare situation, we are limited to 50 people within the funeral home at a time and the understanding and cooperation of the public is greatly appreciated. Written condolences can be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.padgettfuneralhomes.com. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Glenn’s name to the Fairton United Methodist Church, 20 Main St., Bridgeton, NJ 08302.