My father-in-law, Ted Fisher, was the very epitome of a perfect gentleman. He was unfailingly polite, interested in others, kind, and generous. Some of my happiest memories are those of visiting him in his home on Hawkdale Bay. He would politely ask my opinion about political events of the day, and even though we seldom shared the same point of view about things, he would listen respectfully and carefully whilst I expounded upon some now-inconsequential event.
Ted came of age in an orphanage, and as such, had an abiding dislike of institutional living arrangements. His fondest hope was to die at home, but alas, the vagaries and indignities of old age dictated otherwise.
When my husband Tom was a young boy, Ted willingly and conscientiously adopted the role of step-father to a fatherless child. He had hopes that Tom might follow a career path similar to his own, but Tom, ever and always the artist, had other dreams. So Ted encouraged him, purchasing an old piano for him, helping him in his artistic education, and constantly being proud of his every accomplishment in the theatre. Similarly, his two other children, John and Margaret, benefited from Ted’s respectful willingness to endorse their chosen career and spiritual paths.
Above all, Ted, the courteous and old-fashioned yet fashionable gentleman that he was, delighted in watching his own children, grandchildren, and those of his second wife, fulfil their own life purposes and directions, no matter what they may have been. Ted loved his family and we loved him.
Pat Lorje
