Remembering a Friend on Veterans Day

In the Sept. 5, 2019, edition of the Herald you will find the story of John Fisher. John was a Navy veteran, serving on the submarine tender USS Fulton during World War II.

When I met John, I was 51 years old and he was 92. The generation gap meant nothing to us, and we became close friends. Although our time together was short, the impression he made on me will last the rest of my life.

The first thing John said to me when I walked into his home was "I don't think I want to do this story."

I told him that was fine but asked if I could stick around a while and talk. Three hours later, probably without him even realizing it, I knew enough about him to not only write the article, but probably an entire book. But I was going to respect his wishes and kill the story.

As I was getting ready to leave, I asked him if I could stop by again some time, not as a reporter, but as a friend. Johns eyes lit up and he said he would like that very much, and as I shook his hand he said, "go ahead and do the story if you think anyone would want to read it."

When the story was printed, John had me bring him 20 copies. The look of pure joy on his face when he saw his story in print is something I will never forget.

Over the next several months I spent a lot of time with John. We went out for lunch once a week and talked on the phone almost daily. We were part of each other's lives.

My daughter, Olivia, drew a picture depicting John as a sailor standing on the deck of a ship under an American flag. When I gave it to him, he proudly put it on his refrigerator.

Over Christmas I took Olivia to meet John. Within minutes they formed a bond and she sat by his side during our entire visit. He became her "Pappy John," and every conversation we had after that began with "how's my little angel doing?"

Right after the holidays John fell and broke his hip. He entered an assisted living facility. He hated it but he was determined to "put in his time" and get back home. He talked a lot about resuming our weekly lunches and for a while it seemed that may happen. Each visit he seemed to be stronger.

In early March I visited him for the last time, although that wasn't the plan. I left him with the usual "I'll see you in a few days," but COVID-19 put a sudden halt to nursing home visits.

I tried to keep in touch with John through phone calls, but his health began to decline and talking on the phone became a struggle for him. His daughter, Nancy, would keep me posted on how he was doing and every day the reports got less encouraging.

John passed peacefully on April 20, 2020, at the age of 93. He lived a full life and didn't waste one minute of it.

Happy Veterans Day my friend. Thank you for your service to our country, and thank you for letting me be part of your life.