Obituary: Robert E. Fish - Class of 1934

TUCSON, ARIZ. - Robert E. Fish, age 92, died on Aug. 9, 2008, in Tucson, Ariz. He was born on Oct. 15, 1915, in Madison, Wis., the son of Anna Katherine (Bernard) and P.O. Fish. Bob attended Lincoln School, graduated from Central High School and the University of Wisconsin - Madison, where he was elected president of his sophomore class. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Bob served in World War II as a first lieutenant in the Army Transportation Corps. With the war's end he returned to Madison and joined his family business, Fish and Schulkamp Insurance, where he worked until his retirement. In 1956 Bob married Harriet Sisk of Madison; they raised four children. In 2003 Bob and Harriet moved from Madison, their longtime home, to Tucson to be near children. Bob truly treasured the friendship of his many friends. Important in his life were his poker club, his investment club, his hunting groups, his golf foursome, and his Minocqua cabin group. He served on the board of directors of the Madison Club, Maple Bluff Country Club, and the Village of Maple Bluff. Bob was predeceased by his parents; his sisters, Jean Donkle, Lois Buettner, Doris Linton and Ann Sawyer Norman; his brother, John; and a grandson, Timothy Conners. He is survived by his wife, Harriet; his daughters, Sarah Perina (Robert) of York, Pa., Betsy Porter (Walter) and Laura Conners (Terry) of Tucson; a son, Robert Christian West of Madison, and nine grandchildren. Internment will take place in Madison in a family ceremony. Because the last fifteen years of Bob's life were deeply affected by his loss of eyesight, gifts in his memory may be made to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Foundation-Ophthalmology Department, P.O. Box 78807, Milwaukee, WI 53278, for macular degeneration research.

Originally published in the Wisconsin State Journal on August 17, 2008

Note: Robert Fish's class year is based on information in the 1934 Orange and Black yearbook, where is is pictured among the February graduates.