Zeal I. Fisher

Dec. 2, 1930 - Feb. 5, 2013
SOUTH BEND - Mr. Zeal I. Fisher, age 82, a resident of Auburndale, FL, passed away Tues., Feb. 5, 2013, at the Auburndale Oaks Health Care Center, due to heart failure. Mr. Fisher was born Dec. 2, 1930, in New York, NY, to Herman & Shirley (Ehrlichman) Fisher. He & his wife moved to Auburndale from South Bend, IN, in 2000. They are members of Temple Beth Shalom Reform Congregation in Winter Haven and former members of Temple Beth-El in South Bend after 42 years.

Zeal taught orchestra at both Central & LaSalle High Schools.

He played the violin in several symphony orchestras including ones in South Bend & Lakeland. He has composed & published music for schools, professional orchestras, piano, chamber music, and has served as stage director for both operatic & musical theater productions. He also conducted orchestras for many local stage productions, & was cofounder & president of the South Bend Chamber Music Society.

He was also vice president of the Michiana Arts & Sciences Council, served as a consultant for the Fine Arts Department of the South Bend Community School Corporation in 1992, & was a published author of a science fiction novel "The Caprolen Captivity." He was a United States Army veteran, serving during the Korean Conflict. He was preceded in death by his parents. Zeal is survived by his loving family: his wife of 57 years, Marilyn Fisher of Auburndale, FL; son, Dr. Maury (Joni) Fisher of Auburndale, FL; daughter, Lee Suzanne (Phillip) Buchanan of Belmont, NC; brother, Dr. Barry (Andrea) Fisher of Las Vegas, NV; granddaughter, Jessica Fisher of Davenport, FL; great-granddaughter, Giana Griner of Davenport, FL. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Mr. Fisher's honor to a charity of your choice. Funeral services will be held 1:00 PM Sunday, February 10, 2013, at the Kersey Funeral Home, 108 East Lake Stella Drive, Auburndale. Interment will follow at the Rolling Hills Cemetery in Winter Haven.

Published by South Bend Tribune on Feb. 8, 2013.

08/30/2022 EJS