Stephen J. Fisher

Delmar - Stephen J. Fisher, 65, passed away peacefully, in the arms of his loving siblings, in the early morning of Monday, August 26, 2019. Stephen was the beloved son of Joan Hoffman Fisher and the late J. Raymond Fisher and the adored brother of Barbara Lyons, Linda Neidl, Jay Fisher, Nancy Driscoll, and Betsy Ryan. He was predeceased by an infant brother, Harold John, and brother-in-law Tom Neidl. Born in Albany on April 14, 1954, Stephen attended St. Catherine of Siena School and Christian Brothers Academy and graduated from Marquette University. Stephen was expert at making life fun and enjoying simple, pure pleasures. Whether lounging by the pool, biking along the dunes, swooshing down ski slopes, decorating his Christmas tree, or savoring a Broadway musical, Stephen did it all with infectious delight and humor and shared every experience generously with his family––and always with his camera in hand to capture the moment. He relished cutting-edge technology and was a true autodidact when it came to mastering the latest “state of the art” communication or entertainment devices and introducing them to his technologically helpless family and friends. He was our fun facilitator, our go-to guy, our rock, our center. We will forever be asking ourselves, “What would Stephen do?” and aching for his presence. Stephen’s preternatural problem-solving ability made him excel as Director of Operations at Anthem Health Services, where he worked for over twenty years and helped build an extraordinary caregiving company. Legions of people benefitted from Stephen’s talents, and countless lives are the better for it. Stephen is survived by a large and loving family. In addition to his mother and siblings, he leaves his brothers and sister-in-law, Mark Lyons, John Driscoll, Bill Ryan, and Denise Fisher, and his nieces and nephews and their families. He was the most excellent Favorite Uncle to Ben (Cyndy), Jessica (Bill), Chris (Reena), and Phoebe (Paul) Neidl; Katie (Jared), Sarah (Ashwin), and Matthew Fisher; James and Michael (Lizzie) Manzione; John, Kerry, and Bridget Driscoll; and Grace, Wil, and Jayne Ryan. Uncle doted on and delighted in them and his great nieces and nephews, Annabelle, Eloise, Lucy, Som, George, Rouny, Sam, and Dorothy. He also leaves many dear cousins, friends, neighbors, and colleagues to cherish his memory. Stephen’s family want to give special thanks to lifelong family friend Linda Searfoss for her tireless support and comfort these last many months and the staff at St. Peter’s Hospital, who took beautiful care of Stephen in his last week. Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Stephen’s family on Thursday, August 29, 2019 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm in the McVeigh Funeral Home, 208 North Allen Street, Albany. Funeral services Friday, August 30, 2019 at 10:45 am in the McVeigh Funeral Home, thence to the Parish of Mater Christi, 40 Hopewell Street, Albany at 11:30 am where Stephen’s Funeral Mass will be celebrated. The Rite of Interment will immediately follow the Mass at St. Agnes Cemetery, Menands. Those who wish may send contributions in Stephen’s name to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, NENY Chapter, 455 Patroon Creek Blvd., Suite 108, Albany, NY 12206 or www.cff.org. To leave Stephen’s family a message on their guestbook, light a candle, obtain directions, or view other helpful services, please visit www.mcveighfuneralhome.com

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Stephen J. Fisher

April 14, 1954 - August 26, 2019