Part 5 of a 5 Part Series
Clarksville, TN – It was 5:30am, Thursday, August 6th, 2009, when I answered the phone at the radio station, and Steve Phillips asked if I’d heard about Mickey.
I said, “Mickey Fisher?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
‘He died last night.”
I don’t remember anything he told me after that, but I knew I had to get my wits about me, and break the news that Mickey Fisher was gone. It wasn’t easy.
Mickey Fisher had died the night before. He was about to start his retirement. He had just welcomed a new grand-child. It was one of the hardest radio shows I’ve ever had to do. I wanted to get it right.
After my show, I immediately went to tell Mary and the boys how sorry I was. I then went to see Mickey’s parents, George and Myra.
Parents should never EVER have to bury their children.
I hugged George Fisher and he wouldn’t let go, and he couldn’t stop crying. I have never hurt so bad for anyone in my life like I did for George Fisher on that day.
All of us remember where we were when we heard the devastating news.
Jeff Welch, one of Mickey’s former students, summed it up best:
” Of all my coaches either high school, or college, Mickey was the best! He was always there for me. He always made time to talk to me even when I went away to college. Mickey’s voice would always lift my spirits up when things weren’t going well. Mickey helped me make the transition from shooting guard to point guard at the college ranks. Mickey taught me the importance of family. There is not a day goes by that I don’t think about Mick and his impact on my life. ”
As I have tried to convey during this series, Mickey Fisher was just one helluva guy. He wasn’t perfect, but he was “one of the good ones.” The world needs more people like Mickey Fisher.
I can still see that big “looping” back swing, and that “hat,” that unmistakable hat.
We remember that life is precious, and it’s over with before you know it. Mickey touched many people, and the world is truly a better place because of him.
This weekend, we honor his memory at the Mickey Fisher Memorial Golf Tournament. As golfers converge on Cole Park Golf Course at Fort Campbell, we remember what Fort Campbell means to the Fisher family. The ties that bind. We celebrate a friend, a father, a husband and a son. We help others, as Mickey would.
I want to thank Mary Fisher for agreeing to let me do this. I want to thank his mother Myra , for sharing with me all the things that make a mother proud. I want to thank his sister Stephanie for sharing her baby brother’s memory with me, even though I felt the tears streaming down her cheeks while we spoke. To all of his friends who were more than willing to talk about Mickey, and as Sally Peterson said, “Cry a little.”
This journey has been a real blessing to me personally, just as the “Mickey Fisher Memorial Golf Tournament” is a blessing to those who benefit from it. For those of us who were fortunate enough to know Mickey, we’re thankful.
Rest in Peace Mickey, we’ll see you soon.
For more on this story see:
Memories of Mickey – Remembering Mickey Fisher Part 4
Memories of Mickey – Remembering Mickey Fisher Part 3
