Hugh Franklin Fisher

On November 14, 2023 Hugh Franklin Fisher, our beloved brother, cousin, uncle, godfather and friend, departed this world. We were blessed to have him with us for 74 years, and as Christians, we know that he now enjoys Eternal Peace. At age 13, Hugh asked to be Baptized at Northwest DC's Southern Baptist Church. Soon after accepting Christ as his Lord and Savior that night, he was elected president of the church's youth usher board. Also, his was a very familiar face at Pilgrim AME Church in Northeast In later years, he loved singing in choirs at Southern Friendship Missionary Baptist Church located in Temple Hills Maryland, proudly distributing their CDs. His portrait of the church's pastor still hangs there today, a symbol of his dedication to painting. From the hundreds of sketches and paintings he created before ever taking an art class to the portraits that many of us will always treasure, he gave his all to a craft he loved, using only the natural gift with which he was Anointed. We were disappointed that professional baseball scouts never believed he was tall enough for major league baseball, but we now understand that God simply had another plan. However, Hugh still overachieved in sports at Eastern High School and helped his teammates win a city baseball championship. He was selected by DC sportswriters for the All-Inner-High team in 1968, standing tall among the best of the best. He also lettered in varsity football, a defensive back who allowed very few players to outrun him or reach the end zone. Later, he played on one of the first college baseball teams formed at the new Federal City College. He was always ready and willing to share his baseball knowledge. And many young aspiring athletes who lived in Northeast Washington's Kingman Park neighborhood will attest to getting sound advice and a handy tip from Hugh Fisher. After rising to the rank of major and commander of several hundred members of his High School Cadet Corps, the Marine Corps was an easy transition for Hugh, a proud veteran of the Viet Nam era. In civilian life, he worked primarily in security, most notably at the Smithsonian Institute from which he retired in 2007. He later returned to work five more years before retiring, for keeps, in 2011. In 1984, Hugh married the love of his life and his perfect match, Patricia Ellis Fisher. They remained inseparable and happily married until Pat's death in January 2006. They never had children, but approached their selection as godparents for Sydney Hinton as though she was their own. Likewise, they loved all their nieces and nephews, all but adopting a few. A few years after his retirement, he moved from DC to Charlotte, NC where he lived near his sister, Mable and brother-in-law Cyprian King for nearly a decade before they invited the 72-year-old to move into their home in 2021. Hugh Franklin, named for his maternal grandfather and a paternal uncle, adored his family and extended family, and loved the entire younger generation of nephews, nieces and cousins. Just mention his name and they will tell you about their experiences with the man they knew only as "Goo." A particular favorite is the story about the talented singing group he formed from siblings and nieces. Since listening repeatedly to a Miracles Live album at the age of 12, Hugh fell under the spell of the Motown Sound. Throughout his life he played Smokey Robinson's recordings so often that most of us know the lyrics to his hit songs - whether we wanted to or not. He leaves to celebrate his life, five siblings, one brother William Fisher (Vanessa), four sister Patricia Yates, Asenath Jacobs (Alfred), Katy Walker (Daniel), and Mable King (Cyprian), three sister- in- laws Linda Ellis, Catherine Lambert, and Shirley Lambert, 2 God children Wesley Jacobs, and Sydney Johnson, a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends whose lives he touched in a special way.

Hugh Franklin Fisher

October 13, 1949 - November 14, 2023