Richard J. Fischer

Richard J. Fischer, a long-time resident of Hyde Park, MA, died Sunday Dec. 22, 2013 at Park Place Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center, also in Hyde Park. He was 87. Richard was born October 7, 1926 in Roxbury, MA. He was the youngest of three children born to Delia (Nee), formerly of Lehenagh, Cashel in Galway, and Frank, formerly of Zurich, Switzerland. He is predeceased by his older siblings–Frank, who died in Ireland at age 5 in 1923 and Mary (Watkins) who died in 2002–and his wife Catherine (Jennings) who died in 2004.

Richard attended Mission Church High School in Roxbury, MA and was in the class of 1944. After finishing high school, he enlisted in the US Army Air Forces. He served in the 11th Army Air Force in the Aleutian Islands.

He and Catherine (“Kay”) were married in 1950 at St. Mary of the Hills Church in Milton, MA. They had two children: a daughter Mary, who lives in Framingham with her husband Jack Canty, and a son Joseph “Joe” who resides in Malden with his partner Dan “DJ” Saulnier.

Richard became a draftsman; he always loved ‘working on the board.’ He was employed for many years at Cole-Hersee Co. in South Boston where he eventually became Chief Engineer. He retired from Cole-Hersee in 1994 after 27 years of service.

Richard always enjoyed working with his hands. He liked model trains, particularly ‘N’ gauge, and often constructed very detailed buildings to go along with his train set. He also enjoyed crossword puzzles and cryptograms and later in life took to playing games on the computer through which he met many on-line friends. He had ideas for many craft projects and developed a design for Christmas trees made out of bottle caps which he loved to make for his many acquaintances and family members.

He and Kay were active in PFLAG for many years and were proud of having walked in several Boston Pride Parades as well as the Stonewall 25 parade. He took care of Kay at home for several years when she developed Alzheimer’s Disease. After her death, he continued to live in Hyde Park until his health began to deteriorate. He had been residing at Park Place for 2.5 years where he recently became President of the Residents’ Council.

Richard was known as a good friend to many people and was also well-known for his sense of humor. He loved to tell jokes and all who knew him–not only his family but also his friends at work and on-line, at his hangout at McDonalds in Cleary Square, and even his fellow residents and the staff at Park Place–often commented about how he made them smile. He will long be remembered for this sense of humor and his ability to make people laugh.

In addition to his son and daughter, he is survived by his nieces and nephews: John Watkins of E. Weymouth, MA; Robert Watkins and his wife Debbie of Quincy, MA; and Leona Watkins of Oregon.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend his funeral on Saturday, December 28, 2013 at 9AM from the Folsom Funeral Home, 87 Milton St., Dedham, MA followed by a mass of Christian burial at 10 o’clock at St. Mary of the Hills Church, 29 St. Mary’s Road, Milton, MA.  Interment will be in Milton Cemetery.  Visiting hours will be on Friday, December 27, 2013 from 5 to 8PM at the funeral home.