FISHER, Martin Charles “Chuck”
1944-2021
Martin Charles “Chuck” Fisher was a beloved and caring husband, father, uncle, and grandfather, a loyal and devoted friend, a successful small business owner, and a dedicated educator. Chuck was known by many as a caring leader and role model with an infectious sense of confidence. Although we lost him too soon after a sudden head injury, in his 77+ years, Chuck inspired and motivated many through whom his spirit will live on.
Chuck was born in Philadelphia on February 1, 1944 to Gabriel “Gabe” Fisher and Laura Fisher. Gabe was an immigrant (arriving at Ellis Island in 1910) whose family fled the Russian pogroms, and Laura was a first-generation American whose parents also fled religious persecution. Gabe and Laura, both educators and small business owners (founding Camp Echo in 1944), embraced and exemplified the American Dream, initially raising Chuck and his older sister, Irene Fisher Ruttenberg, in Philadelphia, and then moving to a home in the Wyncote neighborhood of Cheltenham Township. Chuck excelled in both baseball and football at Cheltenham High School. He often joked that people thought he was a really good athlete until a kid named Reginald, two years his junior, got to school. (Reginald “Reggie” Jackson starred in four sports at Cheltenham High, including batting .550 and throwing several no-hitters for the baseball team.) Chuck’s potential to play sports at the next level was hindered by shoulder injuries he suffered while playing football.
Chuck attended Pennsylvania State University to pursue an undergraduate degree in History. While his shoulder injuries precluded him from playing varsity sports at Penn State, Chuck became, and stayed, a Penn State sports fanatic. To this day, his car is Penn State blue and white and his license plate is “NIT LION” (a reference to the Penn State mascot, the Nittany Lion). To be clear, Chuck was not just a Penn State football fan; he passionately followed all of the school’s sports teams, and could equally discuss the progress of the women’s volleyball team, the men’s wresting team, and even the gymnastics and fencing teams.
After graduating from Penn State, Chuck earned a Master’s Degree in Education from Temple University. Around this time, Chuck began working closely with Gabe and Laura at Camp Echo, the children’s overnight camp they founded in New York’s Catskill Mountains. After moving to Long Island, New York, Chuck effectively worked two jobs: (i) as a History teacher at a public school during the day, and (ii) as an Assistant Director for Camp Echo at night and during the summer months. It was at Camp Echo that Chuck met a counselor named Debra “Debbie” Kofsky. What started out as a casual summer romance soon became a serious relationship eventually leading to marriage in 1974. In the ensuing years, Chuck and Debbie took over the business from Gabe and Laura. Together, they built Camp Echo into one of the most popular and well-respected camps in the area. At its apex, nearly 500 children per summer attended Camp Echo for eight full weeks.
Married to Debbie for nearly 47 years, Chuck was above all else a loving husband who was proud of his partner in life, and proud of the family and the business they worked on and nourished as a team. Several years after they sold Camp Echo in 2001, Debbie returned to work full-time as a school nurse and Chuck occupied his time as a substitute teacher and, in his words, a “consistently inconsistent” golfer. However, even on the days he taught or had an early tee time with friends, Chuck never failed to prepare Debbie’s lunch, routinely baked treats for Debbie and her colleagues, and often cooked elaborate dinners.
Chuck loved his family and his friends. He was an adoring and inspiring father to his two children, Amy and Eric, and instantly developed meaningful and loving relationships with his son-in-law, Matthew, and daughter-in-law, Jessica. He doted over his four grandchildren, Gabriel, Joey, Brody, and Eva, and showered them with attention and kindness. Chuck was a pillar for his parents, his sister and her family, his nieces and nephews, and even his in-laws. Chuck shared his house with his in-laws for several months every year for decades, and worked with Debbie to care for his ailing mother-in-law in the final years of her life. Chuck also cherished his friendships. One such friend recently shared how Chuck’s daily calls to him while he was undergoing medical treatment helped him get through the grind—as that friend jokingly put it: “Chuck was very clear that he was not ready to lose me, and that I had a responsibility to him to survive.”
Chuck’s dogs were an ever-present part of his adult life. If you knew Chuck before his grandchildren were born, you would inevitably hear about Kara (a female Dobermann), Krystle (a female Golden Retriever), and/or Kasey (a male Golden Retriever). He loved his dogs, and they loved him.
Chuck’s family extended well-beyond blood relations. While sometimes tough and intimidating with adults at Camp Echo (just ask any counselor who broke curfew), “Uncle Chuck” was like a big teddy bear for the thousands of campers over the years who looked to him for support and protection during the eight weeks they spent at Camp Echo each summer. There are too many anecdotes to share here, but many remember Uncle Chuck’s uncanny ability to remember every camper’s address, which he would use to covertly reprimand that camper in a large crowd without embarrassing him/her—“27 Bridle Path, if don’t stop talking, your entire cabin will lose canteen privileges!” Others may remember the towering home runs Uncle Chuck would hit over the Cabin Field cabins, all while holding the bat with only one hand. While Chuck led a life full of love from his family and friends, he will be best remembered for the impact he had on the many children, young adults, and camp colleagues with whom he spent his summers. Chuck was smart and opinionated, but was most impactful as a story-teller who united and inspired through oration. On the one hand, he regaled campers and counselors alike with lighthearted campfire stories of Princess Potch-un-Tuchus. But, on the other hand, he often guided impressionable children and young adults through fables about recognizing the beauty that we all possess within us (i.e., the story of the flawed diamond turned to a rose) and the importance of not spoiling one’s potential (i.e., the story of the prized cow and the milk bucket). The mottos that he not only lived but tried to instill in others were the importance of thinking things through and not sacrificing the future for the present.
Chuck lived a full life, and he fully appreciated that every day was a gift. He will be missed. In addition to Debbie, Chuck is survived by: Amy, Matthew, Joey, and Eva Singer; Eric, Jessica, Gabriel, and Brody Fisher; the Kofsky Family; the Ruttenberg Family; the Metzman Family; and the many “nieces” and “nephews” who knew him as Uncle Chuck.
There will be a small graveside service for family and friends on Wednesday, April 7. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or the American Heart Association.