Paul Leslie Fisher III

A funeral Mass will be held 10:00 am, Thursday, December 15, 2022 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Columbia, MO.

Born January 5, 1954, in Columbia, MO, the son of Dr. Paul Fisher Jr. and Kathryn Fisher, Paul attended University Lab School, a teaching facility for teachers in training. A bit of a whiz kid, Paul was besting adults at chess while still in junior high, and he loved mathematics. Swinging into a family tradition, Paul proudly wore his varsity letter jacket with the school tennis team, playing even in the winter months after shoveling off the courts.

A devout Catholic, Paul earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980 from Wadhams Hall Seminary College in Ogdensburg, N.Y. He then graduated in 1981 with computer programming skills at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO. His educational pursuits continued with an Associate degree in science in 2007 at Cape Cod Community College. In his later years, Paul reveled in college level online courses in a variety of challenging subjects.

A Vietnam War era veteran, Paul enlisted in 1974 in the United States Coast Guard and served for six years in far flung stations such as Kodiak, Alaska, and in New York State. Discharged in 1980, Paul played to his strengths in math and computers as a programmer for such companies as IBM, taking on a variety of similar jobs on the east coast.

In retirement, Paul returned to his hometown to help his sister and brother-in-law care for their mother, Kathryn. While at home, he survived an aortic dissection, which left him a paraplegic. He spent the last 12 years in care centers where he made friends, and studied and played his Gibson guitar for the enjoyment of other residents. He solved calculus for fun! Last but not least, he was an avid Tiger football fan.

Paul was a gentle spirit.

He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by sister, Carley Fisher-Israel and husband Lynn Israel of Spokane, WA; cousins, Janet Kiley of Lainsburg, MI, Kay Deuben of Palatka, FL, John Potter of Huntington Beach, CA; other relatives; and dear friends, Wanda Michael Young and Chris Young of Fulton, MO.