We lost our loving and generous Dad and Papa unexpectedly on Sunday, October 16th. He was doing what he loved, on a fly fishing road trip to Ely, Nevada. He passed away while resting and seemed to have died quickly, painlessly, and peacefully. He is with us and in our hearts everywhere now.
Our dad started his life in near St. Paul, Minnesota with his parents, brothers, and sister. After his childhood, he went on to attend college at St. Cloud State University and graduated with a degree in Management and Finance. He entered the "real" world with working at Schanno Transportation for many years and then moved on to the Gillette Company for another many years. He continued to work in the world of transportation in both Chicago and Las Vegas, Nevada. During the early years, he met our loving mom, Linda Fishcbach, whom he married in the early 1970s. He was a devoted husband for 39 years and a dedicated father of their 2 daughters. He was the most wonderful father who took his daughters all over the country so they could experience the world around them. He also traveled the country later in life to see his daughters along with doing a "little" fly fishing which he came to love later in life. He also got to be a Papa to his 2 granddaughters for 5 years which was his most favorite thing to be, a Papa. You probably have seen many photos of him with his grandkids:) He also had a special affinity for helping and supporting people with developmental disabilities and special needs. He would help anyone out in a heartbeat, especially his daughters and their families. He took great pride in filling up both his daughters' gas tanks when they came home to visit:)
He is preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Donica Fischbach, and his brothers, Dennis and Raymond Fischbach. He is survived by his daughter, Elysia Fischbach (Jim Tabb) of Mono City, California, his daughter, Cassie Fischbach Kure (Matt Kure), and his 2 favorite little people, his granddaughters, Mallory and Kora Kure, daughters of Matt and Cassie. He is also survived by his sister, Donna Pomeroy (Mike Pomeroy), his brother, Peter Fischbach, his brother, Mark Fischbach, and his brother, Robert Fischbach (Kim Fischbach) along with numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins.
We miss him greatly and he will forever be with us in this world. We please invite you all to share your stories about Dad and with Dad here in this memorial for him.
UPDATE 12.3.16:
Hi Everyone,
We will be having Dad's Celebration of Life Memorial on Friday, December 30th, 4-7pm, at the Farm Education Building at Dodge Nature Center, 1701 Charlton St. in W. St. Paul. Doors will open at 4pm and we will start the service at 4:30pm. We will have a few speakers for the service but mostly it will be a time to gather to share stories and memories of Dad. Food will be provided (one of Dad's and our family's favorite restaurant!). If you would like to share a story of Dad, please email me, Elysia, at eofischbach@gmail.com and we can see how to incorporate that into the service. Also, if you could RSVP, that would be greatly appreciated so we make sure that we don't have too little or too much of the yummy food, thank you! We hope to see you and your family to celebrate Dad's life!
http://www.dodgenaturecenter.org/Visitors/Rentals/Education-Building/
Tributes
Leave a tributeMy heart and my thoughts to all his family, l know we will see him., again in eternity Tom you are in a majesty place with a lot of angels and friends, RIP my friend
A BBQ or Pie Iron fest would be the genesis for a gathering of friends and E would note "my dad's in town". Great, one more added to the dynamics of the event. We'd show up most frequently to a spot at Lundy Lake for a Pie Iron fest and Tom would be there, 'elusively'. He would be off fishing (a passion that is deep in my families' roots), missing bocce, then show up in time for the feast! He definitely marched to his own drummer... His presence was a seamless fit and made for an interesting dimension to the eclectic group that would be in attendance.
I always thought... "how wonderful to be off following your passion AND incorporating it with quality time with your daughter"!
Tom, your passion for fishing, your smile, and jovial presence will live on in my memory for years to come!
XO ~Stephanie
But I will never forget the several days we spent hiking down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and then rafting through the bottom half of the Grand Canyon to Lake Mead with Tom. We got to know Elysia on that trip. I'll never forget Tom jumping off of a ledge about 40 feet and into a beautiful pool of water like a 15 year old kid, and then goading me to do it as well.
As my Dad would have said "he was good people".
Bless him and the Fischbach family.
Time went by but we kept in touch through email, then Facebook. What a proud father and grandfather he was. He was such a good man.
Leave a Tribute
my tommy tom
my tommy tom
I miss you my friend and brother- it is all moss two year sinse you leve me here on erth and evry day my hearts screems in pain of my loss... I also burss forth smile & glee of fantastic story of joy.. you live on in me evry day.. I am alone so I need the memory of love one fresh or I wood be sooo lonely.. I has no famly- no husband or childs.. I live alone so at begin middle end of day in the silence I get to think abot those I love- sinse I am alone it do not matter if the person be in las vegas- calfornia-or heaven becase no one nexx me in reel life any way.. my pain is that I wish I cood see you.. hear you.. even smell you.. yes I is sell fish and even thow I relies you in paradise and is save me spot.. I miss you and my life was better with you in it … we wood laff and talk endless (you more than me) we was bess bess bess friens- many may think weerd with so many differen things abot us.. we was identical twinsie in things of importan… we both share old fashun value and morals- golly we both conservative in thots & politics- zeal in food - cooking- and eating (except I use a fork & normal stek knife) not the giant hunting knife that was serrated and a hand- you caveman you... gardening- farmers markets- art in the park- music and theatre under the stars.. demonstray and show our famly & friens how we love them- story telling- We was unite in Christ and the love of God.. the hoy spirit took a thred and wove it from you heart threw my heart and tie evry one you love into my soul.. I am so bless of the greatess giff you grant me - Elysia & Cassie.. then super duper graced with Mallory & Kora (then jim & matt) linda do not know me and she has been in my heart & prayer sinse 2010... my promise to you was all way I wood pray and love them as you ask.. I promise you my brother evry day I lift them all to heaven.. I miss you tom... we understood each other battels-struggles-stress and life and to vent yell cry or laff with you help make life more toleray to has a friend that understand & relay.. heck drinking wine alone is not as much fun... I can hear you still with the giant lowd boom voice brek open the good ones... the week before my surgry I open a great bottle and I use the water glass of you and pour two glass for us both... on you birthday 2017 & 2018 I use my cross cake pan and make you mom recipe for stuff cabbage( Yes I boil in pot- then put in pan) we wood debate who make better cabbage roll- I still win - you use lemon pepper -gross... damn lemon pepper & cred pepper flake was you signature spice... do not get me start on you yellow mustard creations... elysia allow me to keep you prize eating knife... yes I use it very safe responsbulls but with a fork... damn you correck it cood cut threw leather or bone- like elk or bison.. no wonder you wood use it for pork loin or pot roast..hell even spred you penut butter on bred with the tool... I sit in you recline chair so offen when I abel transfer out my wheel chair.. I wear you ugly green golf shirt I use tease you abot to cook.. to clen.. to garden.. to bake.. to relax- it is a hug from you.. it make me feel like you is hug me from heaven and no I has no stains on it & I even iron the shirt... you wood be prood... you all way was prood of me.. I cood do no wrong in you eye EVER,, even when I relies I make error-mistake-or be jack ass on purpose you wood defend me or my ackshuns… we was each other cheerleader.. you hold that giff not juss for me but also - elysia.. cassie.. and linda cood do zero wrong in you eye.. it true is the bess giff of cheerleader you cood give... even if you mad.. sad.. upset.. hert.. you wood not say one mean or negative thing abot the girl that fill you heart.. awesome awesome my frien.. rare rare rare- yet you was very very cross on you self- we wood argue abot you spek ill abot you- that is why I was you cheerleader- you do not understand you level of greatness in life- ha ha NOW YOU DO.. it is reveel… I is correck- you is amaze or erth and even more majestic riding on Jonah with you fishing hat & lures- drinking that fire cinnamon whiskey crap (now at leass you is catch fish) lisening to music as you eat nuts... heck Jonah huge- you probabull has Chicago deep dish pizza deliver by angel to you whale...