The Memorial Wall

Following a 16-year roller-coaster journey through various bouts of cancer and Parkinson's disease, Christopher Miller, 69yo, died on April 19, 2024 with his husband William "Bill" Stanley at his side. We are bereft at the loss of this wonderful man.

Christopher was born In Kalamazoo, MI where he maintained lifelong friendships, but made Louisville his home. He was a talented, intelligent, creative soul whose love for art and nature was instilled by his parents at a young age. At 17, he got his first job working with people with disabilities. He would continue to be inspired by the disability community and support their causes throughout his life. When in his late 30s, he adopted an eight-year-old boy, being one of the first single men in Kentucky to do so. His son Gary would give him a beautiful granddaughter, Amaree, who was the light of his life.

While Christopher spent much of his career as a successful fundraiser for nonprofits with a focus on the arts and humanities, he will be remembered by his friends and family as a gifted watercolor artist, poet, and pianist; a magnificent cook; and a consummate host who opened his home to all. He enjoyed spending time with Bill on beautiful Lake Michigan and traveling internationally. He fell in love with Portugal while working on an archeological dig there and returned often, making new friends each time. He was also a tornado magnet, narrowly escaping three.

Ever thoughtful, Christopher loved hosting gatherings where good food, wine, conversation, and laughter were shared in abundance. His eclectic mix of friends and family remember fondly his Thanksgiving and Christmas parties, which often included his piano rendition of “Diamonds and Rust.” He made us laugh, knew how to wear a good hat, and beat us mercilessly at Spelling Bee. He will be missed fiercely and always for his wit, generosity, integrity, and deep friendship. We will continue to feel his soul, hear his laughter, and walk in many memories that will sustain us.

In addition to his husband Bill, Christopher is survived by his grandchildren Amaree Skye Miller and Brayden Speed; sisters Pamela Pardue Stevens and Nancy MacKenzie; niece and nephews Ray Pardue, Chamisa MacKenzie, Dave Jurgens, and Gerry MacKenzie; and great nephew, David MacKenzie, as well as by his many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clark and Jan Miller, and his son, Gary Miller.

Actor Kanakalatha, known for playing supporting characters in films and television serials, passed away here on Monday. She was 63. The actor had been suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s disease over the past couple of years. Born in Oachira in Kollam district, her acting career, spanning over 300 films in Malayalam and Tamil and several popular television serials, began in her younger days with drama performances. With a childhood marked by poverty, the stage was one of the sources of income for her family.

Filmmaker P.A. Backer, who watched one of her performances, cast her in the lead role in his film Unarthupaattu. Though the film unfortunately did not get a theatrical release, filmmaker Lenin Rajendran, who was one of its producers, cast her in his film Chillu (1982), which became Kanakalatha’s debut film.

Though she got more roles in films, she continued to perform on stage too with various troupes, including the Kalidasa Kalakendram.

When Doordarshan began telecasting television serials in the 1980s, she was one of the earliest to make the shift to television with a lead role in Oru Poo Viriyunnu. Soon, Kanakalatha became a familiar face in these thirteen episode-serials, at a time when these were the staple diet in almost every other household in Kerala in the pre-cable television era.

She later became a part of several popular mega serials in the private television channels that mushroomed in the 1990s.

In films, she continued to do supporting character roles, most often as the sister or mother of the principal characters. Some of her notable films include Kireedam, Kauravar, Harikrishnans, Bandhukkal Sathrukkal, Chenkol, Spadikam, Aadyathe Kanmani and Oru Yathramozhi.

Though she acted in a few films in the 2010s, she slowly faded out of cinema and television in recent years due to illnesses. Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian condoled her passing.

Dave Hewitt founded the White Rose Armoury around 34 years ago, working at the Clocktower in Hollingwood up until June 2023. He played bass in numerous bands including Traitors Gate, Wytchfynde and Stormwatch.

His son Ben commented on social media: “He was my absolute HERO!! He had so much time for us all and inspired so many people both through his amazing skill of his work and his music. He was loved so much.”

Dave, who lived in Newbold, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s four years ago. He was admitted to Chesterfield Royal Hospital on Thursday, May 2 with pneumonia and suffered respiratory arrest. From his hospital bed and with his wife Bec cuddling him, Dave watched a livestream of his son’s band Nothings Forgotten play a gig in aid of Parkinson’s on Friday at Real Time Live.

His last word to Bec was that he loved her ‘immeasurably’. Dave died on Monday – the day before his 68th birthday.

Bec said: “He was my soul mate. He loved his son Ben very, very much, and his stepson Jake and his two grandchildren, Sophie and Ava Mae.”Dave was a true gentleman and an absolute pleasure to be around. Generous and a highly skilled and intelligent man.

“I’m so proud of the things he did. He was a workaholic who loved doing his hobby as his job – it was his passion. He was Leeds Armoury’s main armourer and spent every Easter there for the yearly joust mending and helping the knights with their armour. He has a suit of armour in the Agincourt museum, he was especially proud of that.”

Royal Armouries in Leeds posted on X: “It's with great sadness that we learnt of the passing of Master Armourer to the Royal Armouries, Dave Hewitt. Dave, a long-time friend and partner of the museum replenished, repaired and created new world-class armours for us for over 25 years.”

Dave founded the War of the Roses Federation, a group for re-enactors focusing on the 1455-1487 medieval period, which is still in existence.

Bec said: "He would buy the Royal British Legion small wooden crosses and put them on every soldier’s grave at St John's Road church, Brimington and Heath. Later he would do this with his mate Mark Weston.

“He travelled every year with four other mates to Belgium and France to look at battlefields and stay for a few days learning about WW1.

"He was an avid motorcyclist and loved nothing more than going out on distance trips with his nephews Mark and Steven and his brother Richard.”

On social media Jonathan Jones commented: “When it comes to charisma, wit, presence, passion, a lust for life and yes, skill with both hammer and sword, there is no finer example can be offered than Dave.”

Mark Griffin posted on Dave’s page: “Knew you for nearly 40 years, see your wonderful work every day as I walk through the shelves of armour.”

Derbyshire born and bred, Dave had an eclectic taste in music ranging from Kate Bush, to Clannad, Rammstein to Harry Styles. He played bass in a number of bands including Das Raaven, Axis and Warrior down the years and supported rock icons Saxon, Budgie and Wishbone Ash.

KIrk Wells posted: “R.I.P. to a true rock legend, friend and gentleman, it was a pleasure to have rocked with you, rest easy god of thunder.”

Danny Bower wrote: “He will be missed by so many people, such a big loss to the music scene.”

Bruce Richard McGrath, 71, died Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at his Denver home with his family by his side after a 13-year battle with Parkinson’s.

Bruce was born December 21, 1952, in Portsmouth, Virginia to Forrest and Patricia McGrath. His family moved to Denver in 1954. Bruce loved spending his life in Denver and Vail. He was an avid skier and car enthusiast who enjoyed racing cars. He was also passionate about biking and playing golf at Cherry Hills Country Club.

In 1976, Bruce graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in Business. Prior to that, Bruce graduated in 1972 from Kent Denver School / Denver Country Day. Bruce was a member of several organizations including Young Presidents Organization and YPO Gold Rocky Mountain. Bruce bought Elder Equipment in 1986 and started Canyon State Bus Sales in 2004, which he owned and operated until 2020.

Bruce was a longstanding philanthropist in his community. Bruce was passionate about supporting education with generous support to Kent Denver School and UC Health Anschutz. Bruce proudly served cumulatively 18 years on the Board of Trustees at Kent Denver School. He also loved animals and supported the Denver Zoo and the Dumb Friends League.

Bruce is survived by his son, Michael (Hadley) McGrath and grandsons, Grayson McGrath and Conrad McGrath; sisters Ann Peña, Lindsey (Tom) McGrath and Tracey McGrath.

Bruce will be remembered for his larger-than-life personality, his love for his family and friends, and his endless generosity.

June 28, 1936 - April 28, 2024 Gary O. Concoff, 87, of Los Angeles, California, passed away on April 28, 2024, after a prolonged illness.
Born June 28, 1936, to Evelyn and Nathan Concoff, Gary played centerfield at Los Angeles High School and went on to study Accounting at UCLA and received a JD from Harvard Law School.

In 1962, Gary returned to Los Angeles where he began a successful career in Entertainment Law which remained his passion for the next five decades. His broad knowledge spanned topics including litigation, corporate law, bankruptcy, intellectual property, accounting, and personal service agreements. He adeptly guided his clients through the risks inherent to their business and creative endeavors. He was among the first to recognize and develop the field of international co-production. Gary was generous in sharing his time and knowledge with subsequent generations of Entertainment Attorneys including his instrumental roles in founding and nurturing the growth of the UCLA Entertainment Symposium. He took particular pride in the many successes of those he mentored.

Also in 1962, Gary met the love of his life, Jean Fogelman. They were married the following year, a loving union that lasted the 62 years until his death. They had two children, Cory and Andy. Gary valued love for his family above all else. First as a son and brother, and later as a husband, father, and grandfather, Gary delighted in spending time with his family, reminiscing at Sunday gatherings, and providing earnest and sage guidance and encouragement. Those of us lucky enough to benefit from Gary's love felt cherished, supported, and empowered.

He loved supporting the interests of his sons and grandchildren, attending their games, recitals, and other performances. With the family home aptly situated beyond the centerfield fence, he was a prominent contributor to the Golden Age of Rustic Canyon Park Sports. Gary was an avid supporter of UCLA athletics and an ardent fan of the San Francisco Giants.

Gary is survived by Jean, sons Cory and Andy, Andy's wife Simone, grandchildren Eden, Sydney, and Quintin, as well as his sisters Laurie and Robbi and their families.

Patricia Curry Davis, of Atlanta, and Highlands, NC, and known to her friends as Pat, died on April 27, 2024, from the long-term effects of Parkinson's Disease. She had lived with Parkinson's for more than 12 years, valiantly dealing with the symptoms and moving forward with her life with courage. She was born on November 8, 1939, to Clarence Ellie and Annabel Dees Curry in Reidsville, Georgia. She was an excellent student and left Reidsville High School after her junior year to matriculate at Mars Hills, then a junior college. She completed her degree at Emory University, graduating in 1960 with a degree in accounting. The Big 8 accounting firms at the time were not hiring women on the professional staff, so she joined Sowell and Harden, a local Atlanta firm. When she was awarded her CPA certificate in 1966, she was the only woman in Georgia to receive one that year. She was always a woman ahead of her time.

She married Charlton Lee Davis, her Mars Hill classmate, in 1960, and they had a long and happy partnership, both in life and in business. After a move to Valdosta, she and Charlie had their own CPA practice which served much of the area. She was and remained on technology's cutting edge. An early adapter of computers in the office, she was tapped by IBM to speak nationally on the value of computers for small businesses and travelled the country to do so. She carried her Palm Pilot with her at all times, long before the rest of us used hand-held technology. That comfort with tech continued to the end with her use of her Apple watch.

While raising her children and practicing accounting, she was also deeply involved in the Valdosta community, serving on the board of the Valwood School which her children attended, and as a board member of the Georgia Conservancy. Pat was a serious gardener and proponent of native plants. At Canterbury Court, where she spent the last 12 years of her life, she was a leader of a group of resident gardeners who built a bog garden on the property and was always consulted for her gardening expertise. She and Charlie were also expert birders and travelled the country to see birds in their native habitat or to see extraordinary migrations, such as the Sandhill cranes on the Platte River in Nebraska.

She was predeceased by Charlie, who died in 2012, as well as by her parents, and a younger sister, Mary Ann, who died in childhood. She is survived by her two children Charlton Lee Davis, Jr. of Marietta, GA, and Holly Schmidt-Davis (Jon) of Pine Lake, GA; and one grandchild, Audrey Schmidt-Davis, whom she loved dearly. She is also survived by her brother, James L. Curry of Atlanta; his wife, Ann; and their children and grandchildren, all of whom loved Aunt Pat.
 

On the evening of April 20, 2024, Mickie Reinertson from Huntington Beach passed away after a 7 year battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was born in Modesto, California on April 11, 1939 to Edna (de la Motte) Reinertson and Bernard Reinertson. In 1957, Mickie graduated from Series High School in California. He attended Concordia Oakland and went on to graduate from Concordia Teacher’s College in Seward Nebraska where he met his wife, Betty Kirchhof. He and Betty were married in June of 1961 in Iowa. Mickie accepted his first teaching job in Sacramento California in 1961 at Town and Country Lutheran School. He then went on to teach at several other Lutheran Schools: St. Paul’s Lutheran School in Round Lake Illinois, Faith Lutheran School in Whittier, St. Paul’s Garden Grove and St. Paul’s Lutheran in Orange, California. Toward the end of his career he became principal at Hephatha Lutheran School in Anaheim Hills where he served until his retirement. After retirement, he became a substitute teacher in Garden Grove Unified School District where he enjoyed instructing all grades from Kindergarten to High School and even taught music. Mickie had many hobbies and passions. He loved to play, coach and watch all sports. Throughout his teaching career he coached everything from basketball to track and field, but he especially loved baseball/softball as a player, coach and manager. He had a love for music and played both the trumpet and ukulele. He enjoyed many years of playing ukulele with his fellow musicians at Island Bazaar in Huntington Beach. Mickie loved stories both telling them and hearing them. He loved to laugh and kept his humor until the very end of his life. When asked how old he was on his 85th birthday he said,” Twenty one?” He loved his family and was a wonderful father, grandfather and great grandfather. During his last days he was able to enjoy the friends and family members who came to visit and would recall great memories and stories from the past. He is survived by his brother, Jerome (Jerry) Reinertson, his wife, Betty Reinertson, his three daughters, Denise Trok, (Steve Trok), Brenda Hawkins, (Jim Hawkins), Coleen Barrier, (Chris Barrier). His six grandchildren, Joshua Cox, Joseph Brintane Cox,( Cat Paul), Jacklyn Chen, (Kevin Pegg), Madeline Chen, Nathan Trok, (Ashley Trok), Allison Trok (Lorenz Sarcletti), and his three great grand children, Clara and Evan Trok and Charlotte Cox. 

Maurice Leon “Mel” Opotowsky, a former newspaper editor and tenacious free press advocate who was known for helping to advance 1st Amendment rights, has died.

Opotowsky died April 18 at Claremont Manor retirement community, where he lived with his wife, Bonnie Opotowsky, according to their son, Didier Opotowsky. He said his father’s cause of death is not certain, and that he had Parkinson’s. He was 92.

Opotowsky was a top editor at the Riverside Press-Enterprise when the paper brought two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court that resulted in landmark rulings advancing the public’s right to view certain legal proceedings. He was later a founding board member of the First Amendment Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the free press and preserving access to government records and meetings.

“I don’t know that there’s another single person in California who had such a positive and long-lasting impact on open government in our state,” said David Snyder, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition. Opotowsky remained an active board member until his death and had emailed Snyder suggesting work the organization could take up just weeks ago, he added. “His longevity, his persistence and his tenacity are the stuff of legend.”

Opotowsky joined the Press-Enterprise in 1973 after working as an editor at Newsday. He was known for fostering a culture that emphasized hard news and accountability journalism, said former columnist Dan Bernstein, who worked at the Press-Enterprise from 1976 to 2014.

Back then, the news organization put out two papers: the morning Enterprise and the afternoon Press, which were later merged. Opotowsky eventually climbed the ranks to become managing editor of the combined edition.

“He was pretty much on everybody’s shoulder as they wrote and reported stories, because he was a very tough and aggressive editor who was skeptical of government and skeptical of politicians,” Bernstein said. “And none of us wanted to be left not asking the question that he would have looked for immediately.”

In January 1984, the paper won the first of two Supreme Court rulings that are still often cited by attorneys seeking access to court proceedings.

“He was reputed to know as much about constitutional law as a lot of lawyers did,” he said. “Whether it was government meetings, courtrooms or records, he was pretty much adamant that all records should be open and all courtrooms should be open.”

Opotowsky retired as editor of the Press-Enterprise in 1999, becoming an ombudsman, tasked with investigating and responding to reader complaints. In addition to his open records advocacy work, he taught at Cal State Fullerton.

He was rightly known for being unsparingly direct, said Kris Lovekin, a former education reporter at the Press-Enterprise. She recalled one story in which Opotowsky demanded that a reporter unmask a donor to UC Riverside who wanted to remain anonymous, figuring that a public university must be required to disclose its backers. After he resolved to get an attorney involved, the Press-Enterprise’s then-publisher, Howard H. “Tim” Hays, was forced to disclose that it was he who had, in fact, made the donation, Lovekin said.

At the same time, Opotowsky was also kind and compassionate when warranted, she said. A keen chronicler of the world around him, he was creating journalism up until the end of his life, she said.

“He was still writing stories about people in Claremont Manor, about the people he lived with,” Lovekin said. “He would post it on Facebook and we would read about the other residents.”

Opotowsky was remembered for his dry wit that at times leaned acerbic. He had a soft spot for practical jokes and an even softer spot for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, his son said. He loved horseback riding, fox hunting and trying different restaurants, he said.

Opotowsky was born in New Orleans on Dec. 13, 1931. His mother was ill, so one of her sisters-in-law filled out the registration card and submitted it to the city to produce a birth certificate, Didier Optowsky said. The sister-in-law named him Maurice Leon after their father — contrary to a tradition among some Jewish people that dictates babies should not be named after living relatives, he said.

“My grandmother was so furious she refused to call him Maurice, refused to call him M.L.,” Didier Opotowsky said. “So she called him Mel.”

His father did not learn his legal name until he was drafted into the Army, Didier Opotowsky said.

True to his roots, Opotowsky was also known to make enormous batches of red beans and rice — enough to feed the entire family for weeks, his son said. “They were good,” he said. “But we would get tired after the fifth day or so.”

He is survived by his wife Bonnie; son Didier; daughters Joelle Opotowsky, Keturah Persellin and Jamie Persellin; 18 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by a daughter, Arielle Opotowsky, who died as an infant.

Thomas Lee Phillips of Newport Coast, California, died peacefully at his home on Thursday, April 18, 2024, surrounded by his four children and his loving caregivers. He had fought a courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease for over a decade. Tom was born in Camden, New Jersey on December 25, 1941 to parents Helen Hutchinson Phillips and Jules Ludin Phillips. He lived most of his adult life in Montgomery County, Maryland before moving to northern Virginia in 1998 and then Orange County, California in 2010. He earned a B.A. in political science from Dartmouth College and a M.A. in journalism from The American University. He also served in the U.S. Army and was employed with two large national advertising agencies and a Washington, D.C. publishing firm. In January 1974, Tom started Phillips Publishing (which later became Phillips International, Inc.) with his wife Jan in the garage of their home in Chevy Chase, Maryland with a $1,000 investment. After launching two newsletters with three employees, the company grew into one of the most important print publishing firms over the next three decades. The firm published newsletters, magazines, and directories and later online information services for consumer and business-to-business marketplaces. The wide range of industries included health, personal investing, telecommunications, banking, aerospace, and energy. A very successful subsidiary of the company also marketed several doctor-formulated lines of nutritional supplements to the health newsletter subscribers. He sold the final Phillips subsidiary in January 2007. Tom was also Founder and Chairman of Eagle Publishing, Inc., which he started in 1993. Eagle Publishing was a leading source of books and periodicals that included Regnery Publishing, a politically conservative book publisher founded in 1947, and Human Events, a leading conservative newspaper. He sold this company in 2014 to Salem Media Group. Tom founded The Phillips Foundation, a non-profit organization which sponsored programs for print journalists and the Ronald Reagan Leaders Scholarship Program. It was later merged into The Fund for America Studies. He was a founding member of the Newsletters Publishers Association and served as its president. In 1989, Tom was named Newsletter Publishers Association “Publisher of the Year” and in 1994 he was elected as the first member of the Newsletter Publishers Hall of Fame. Tom served on the Board of Directors of Young America’s Foundation, chaired the Board of Governors of the National Journalism Center, and was a member of the Reagan Ranch Board of Governors. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Fund for American Studies and Chairman of the Board of Visitors for the Institute on Political Journalism. He served for many years on the Board of Junior Achievement of the National Capital Area and on the Board of the Boy Scouts of America National Capital Area Council. A generous man, Tom was extremely proud to be part of the purchase of the Reagan Ranch, President Ronald Reagan’s Western White House in Santa Barbara, by Young America’s Foundation. He worked closely with The Fund for American Studies, which fosters programs that teach the principles of limited government, free-market economics, and honorable leadership to students and young professionals in America and around the world. He often hosted events and political fundraisers at his homes on the east coast and Orange County and loved to throw a good party. Tom took his entire company to Disney World in Florida in September 1993 in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the company. It was a 3-day, 2-night stay and included all employees and their families. A second trip, a Disney cruise, followed ten years later in September 2003 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the company (which was officially founded on 1/1/1974). Again, the trip included all Phillips Publishing employees, their families, board members and some vendors of the company who had been with the firm for many years. Tom considered his employees like family and wanted to make sure they knew how appreciated and valued they were. Tom enjoyed collecting art (mainly American Impressionist) and traveling and loved all forms of chocolate, blueberry pie, and lemon bars. His favorite flower was the rose. When he lived in both Maryland and Virginia, he had beautiful rose gardens. He would bring a pail of these roses to his business office and hand them out to his new employees, making sure he personally thanked them for joining the team. Tom Phillips is survived by Karen (Christopher) Broussard and Mark Thomas Phillips, children from his first marriage, and Reagan Thomas Phillips and Parker James Phillips, sons from his second marriage. He is also survived by five grandchildren, a sister Katherine (Dorsey) Hunt, a niece and a nephew, an uncle and a cousin.

Judge Robert F. “Bob” Fischer, who retired from the Appellate Court of Maryland, died of complications from Parkinson’s disease April 16 at the Pineapple House at Sapphire Lakes, a Naples, Florida, assisted living facility.

The former Ellicott City and Grasonville resident was 92.

“I first met Bob in the fall of 1994 when I joined the court, and I must be his No. 1 fan,” said U.S. District Court Judge Ellen L. Hollander.

“He commanded love and affection from the bench and the bar,” she said. “He was warm, humble, collegial and aimed his rulings for the court by the demands of the law. He had a dignity about him and it was an honor to serve with him and be his colleague.”

Retired Appellate Court Judge Paul E. Alpert was both a colleague and longtime friend.

“Bob was just a terrific fellow,” Judge Alpert said. “He was very honest and courageous and he took positions and didn’t care if you agreed or not. He was very straightforward.”

Robert Frederick Fischer, son of John Ernest Fischer, a compositor, also known as a typesetter, for The Baltimore Sun, and Anna Karis Fischer, a homemaker, was born in Baltimore and raised in Westport, on land where his grandfather, an immigrant form Lithuania, owned and operated a beer garden.

His mother died when he was 10, and his father nine years later.

Judge Fischer told The Sun in 1988 that he grew up “with no prospects at all. I know how hard it is to advance in the world.

“I am somebody who struggled.”

In Judge Fischer’s case, the way out was wrestling, where he became a champion on the varsity team, along with his brother, Ernest Fischer, at the old Southern High School. There, in 1946, he won his first of two Maryland Scholastic Association championships.

“All of my friends went to reform school. We didn’t because of athletics,” he told The Sun.

At the University of Maryland, College Park, he was a wrestling champion for two years and undefeated his senior year.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in 1954, he enlisted in the Air Force where he served from 1955 to 1958 as a jet fighter instructor in Greenville, Mississippi.

After being discharged, he worked as a probation officer by day while studying law at night at the University of Baltimore.

He earned his law degree and passed the bar in 1961 then became an associate partner at Pierson & Pierson in Towson, where he worked for a decade.

In 1969, Judge Fischer, and his wife, the former Sally Watson, a Baltimore County public schools educator, moved to Ellicott City where he established a law practice, and also served as a Howard County assistant solicitor and in 1972 county solicitor.

A Democrat, in 1973, he was appointed a District Court judge, and four years later, to the Circuit Court by Gov. Blair Lee III, and in 1987 became administrative judge of the Howard County Circuit Court.
Judge Fischer was appointed to the Maryland Appellate Court, the second highest court in the state, in 1988.

“The reputation he forged on the Circuit Court reflected a genuine concern for the underdog,” The Sun reported at the time of his appointment to the Appellate Court.

Judge Fischer at times earned the ire of prosecutors for giving defendants a second chance.

“If I thought a person was sincere about changing his pattern of life, I was inclined to give them an opportunity, if it was feasible,” he told the newspaper. “I stuck my neck out a lot. I’ve taken chances on people who were not entirely safe risks, and fortunately, most of them turned out well.”

He added: “If I found out they were not going to change and stop committing crimes, I had to warehouse them. But, I believe you should give people an opportunity.”

Judge Fischer developed his views of state prisons when he was a young lawyer.

“I knew of several young men who went to prison, and they were brutalized and raped,” he told The Sun. “I realize managing violent people is not easy, and the prisons are overcrowded. So, protecting the average person is extremely difficult.”

Judge Fischer, who once sentenced a 15-year-old Laurel boy convicted of rape to five years in the county jail “because I did not want to put him in the state prison system. It would have ruined his life.”

“He was a very good lawyer and judge and his record speaks for itself,” Judge Alpert said. “He was very well respected as a lawyer and as an Appellate Court judge.”

“He had an extraordinary judicial temperament, warmth and charm, and these are traits that stand out in my mind,” Judge Hollander said. “Appellate Court is so different from being a Circuit Court judge because you function as a group.”

Judge Fischer retired in 1997, but for a few years afterward, continued part time as a senior judge in various courts throughout the state until moving to Naples in 2002.

Judge Fischer, who had been elected to the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, enjoyed painting landscapes, making furniture, reading, and playing tennis and golf.

He was a former communicant of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Ellicott City and was a member of Trinity-By-The-Cove Episcopal Church in Naples.

In addition to his wife of 67 years, a retired special education teacher, Judge Fischer is survived by a son, Kurt J. Fischer, of Towson; a daughter, Keri Corless, of Wellesley, Massachusetts; and five grandchildren.