Shirley Mae Fischer

Shirley Mae (Nieman) Fischer, 96, of Upper Arlington, Ohio passed away on Wednesday, August 2, 2023. She was born on September 7, 1926 to Orville and Emma Nieman in Mt. Healthy, Ohio. She graduated from Miami University summa cum laude in Mathematics. In college, she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Shirley had a brief career performing mathematical computations in chemical labs, working for Andrew Jergens and Battelle Memorial Institute.

Following a ten-year courtship, Shirley married high school sweetheart, James “Big Jim” Fischer, and they moved from Cincinnati to Columbus, eventually settling in Upper Arlington where she lived for 70 years. She raised five lovely children, four daughters and one amazing son.

Shirley donated her time and energies to a number of endeavors. She volunteered in the libraries at Windermere Elementary School and Hastings Junior High School beginning when her youngest was attending the schools and continuing for years after. For over three decades, she helped at the NNEMAP Food Pantry organizing food, serving clients, and managing the donations from her church. She was an active member of Alpha Chi Omega alumnae group long after college, spending countless hours working on coordinating recommendations for incoming students.

She was a longtime member of Northwest United Methodist Church, Brookside Golf & Country Club, Clintonville Women’s Club, and American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Shirley loved to play bridge. Her love of bridge began in college. Once married, she convinced Jim to play which led to years of fun gatherings with the neighborhood group. In later years, she played with several different groups. In fact, her very last day included an afternoon of bridge with her dear friends.

Shirley is preceded in death by her husband of 49 years James Fischer, daughter Janet Slike, and brother Timothy Nieman.

She is survived by daughter Jamie (John) Salvadore, daughter Barbara (John) Dwors, daughter Beth Fischer, son Andrew Fischer, sister Sue Seabold (Hall Crannell), son-in-law Teel Slike, sisters-in-law Sandy Nieman and Carolyn Fischer, grandson Nicholas (Sarah) Salvadore, grandson Chad Salvadore (Par Royer), granddaughter Michelle (David) Bunch, granddaughter Kimberly (David) Gilvin, great-grandchildren Fischer, Abigail, Connor, Hudson, Finley, and Thurston.

Family and friends may call from 6:00-8:00 pm Monday, August 7 at Schoedinger Northwest, 1740 Zollinger Road, Upper Arlington, OH 43221. Funeral services will be conducted by Pastor Mebane McMahon on Tuesday, August 8 at 11:00 am at Northwest United Methodist Church, 5200 Riverside Drive, Upper Arlington, OH 43220.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Shirley’s honor to the NNEMAP food pantry at NNEMAP, Inc. P.O. Box 10614, Columbus, OH 43201.