Thomas Faulkner Fisher

Thomas Faulkner Fisher, the son of Mildred Dorothy (Heiden) and Robert John Fisher, was born on May 12, 1936, in Des Moines, Iowa. His sisters are Nancy Fisher Stanek and Carol Fisher Schnell, and he was honored to be of German descent. The family moved to Fort Dodge shortly afterwards and they were very active in the community. They were involved with their church, and Tom was a long time Boy Scout, attending the National Jamboree in Washington D.C.. Tom played football, basketball and baseball, but he was really known for his golf skills. The family returned to Des Moines where Tom lettered in golf and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1954.

Tom attended Iowa State College, and was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He graduated from Grandview College in 1957, where he helped form the collegiate golf team and lettered in the sport. He supported all of the local schools: Van Meter High School, Drake, and the University of Iowa (when they weren’t playing ISU). After college, Tom served his country in the U.S. Army, then went on to work as a civilian for his career.

Tom enjoyed his life as a bachelor with his best friend since high school, Dick Fust, until he met the love of his life, Evelyn Carol Russell (Frey). They met each other through one of the earliest computer dating services. They married December 26, 1969, and Tom accepted into his life Evelyn’s two daughters, Deanna and Sheryl. He mentored the girls through their lives. Tom and Evelyn hosted two foreign exchange students: Michaela Grabinger from Germany and Keiji Tatsumi from Japan. Tom enjoyed sharing the same birthdate with his brother-in-law, Henry Russell. Tom and Evelyn celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with family and friends in 1994 and would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2019. Throughout the years he was so active: boating, fishing, hunting, swimming, sailing, water skiing, scuba diving, snow skiing and of course, golfing. Tom was thrilled when he discovered he had made a hole-in-one. His most competitive partner through the years was his own father, Robert Fisher, who shot his age at 96.

In 1971, Tom and Evelyn purchased West Des Moines Sand Company from Tom’s parents. They grew the business and were very successful in what they set out to do. Tom was very active in the Des Moines Homebuilders Association. Tom and Evelyn sold the sand plants and retired from the business world in 2006. They then went on to continue visiting family and friends. Tom played more golf and could take more time to work around their property. He became a huge conservationist. He moved from hunting to enjoying wildlife through the camera lens. He fed the birds and animals, and built a great duck pond. He also collected artwork by Maynard Reece. He was a long-time member at Des Moines Golf and Country Club, and they were also members at Glen Oaks Country Club. He was either attending a game or cheering the teams on TV. He enjoyed live theater and watching old western movies when he actually took the time to sit down for a few hours.

Tom and Evelyn loved to travel. They literally went around the world in thirty days, visiting over ten different countries on five continents. Throughout the years, they also traveled to England, Ireland, Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Canada and more.

Tom has two daughters, Deanna (Frey) Poyfair, married to D.J.; and Sheryl (Frey) Dahm, married to Martin. The seven grandchildren are Andrew Jacob Dahm, Tyler Scott Roth (Renee), Cassie Marie (Roth) Haege, (Robert), Bradley Thomas Poyfair, Jordan Nicole Poyfair, Taylor Cherie Poyfair, Cole Russell Poyfair; and five great-grandchildren, Raegan Autumn Haege, Connor Thomas Roth, Robert John Haege, Abram Scott Haege and Vera Rose Roth. Tom’s nieces and nephews and other extended family meant everything to him. He and Evelyn attended graduations, weddings, games, school events, Angus shows and other competitions, along with traveling to visit all of the family. They made a point of taking the two girls and the grandkids on trips to Washington D.C., New York, Hawaii and throughout the U.S.

Tom was a wonderful son, brother, husband, father, Papa, uncle and a great guy. Tom is survived by Evelyn, his wife of 48 years. He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers-in-law, Dr. Maury Schnell, Dr. Jim Lucas, and Gib Stanek; and a nephew, Keith Stanek. Tom passed away peacefully on January 13, 2018 surrounded by his family. He will be greatly missed by everyone.

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