Prominent businessman Donald Mais “Don” Fisher passed away peacefully in the presence of his loving family on March 18, 2026, at the Delaware Veteran’s Home. He was 82.
Born in Milford on September 3, 1943, to Edwin and Frances Fisher, Don grew up on Lakeview Avenue where neighborhood friends gathered for basketball, pool and backyard pole vaulting. He was an Eagle Scout, beloved class leader and a varsity athlete in football, basketball and track. He graduated from Milford High School in 1961 and was described in his high school yearbook as “never satisfied, always striving to improve.” This was truly his lifelong mindset.
While attending the University of Delaware, Don was Sigma Nu and pole vaulted on the track team for four years. In 1963, he set the Carpenter Field pole vault record and received the University of Delaware scholar-athlete award in 1965. He was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History with honors in 1965.
After college, Don enlisted in the Air Force, attending Officer Training School and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. He was assigned to Keesler Air Force Base. On March 18, 1967, Don married his college sweetheart, Pat Macky and they spent two years in Biloxi, Mississippi. In 1969, the couple welcomed daughter Catherine at Fort Lee in Petersburg, Virginia. Don completed his service in the Air Force as a captain in 1970 and the family returned to Milford. In 1974, Julie was born and, in 1979, Cara was born.
Don worked for many years at Fisher Appliances, a company founded by his father and a cornerstone of downtown Milford. He helped expand the company into furniture and introduced video rentals. His true passion, however, was in helping the community. After earning his Master of Arts in Psychology from Washington College in 1974, Don served on the original board of People’s Place, a counseling center for individuals and families.
In addition to his service to People’s Place, Don taught human relations at Del Tech and contributed his time and talents to local organizations, including Avenue United Methodist Church, serving as a youth leader, Sunday School superintendent for 17 years, and donating generously to the food pantry. Don also led the area’s first support group for prostate cancer patients and survivors. He was honored with a Governor’s Award for Volunteer Service in 1986 and a Friend of Recreation Award from Milford Parks and Recreation in 1988.
Under the playful persona of “Mr. Fishe,” Don delighted children at Avenue Preschool and at schools, libraries, parks and birthday parties throughout the region. A certified juggling instructor, he taught hundreds of people to juggle at the Tot Lot and Rehoboth Bandstand for 25 years through Rehoboth Parks and Recreation.
As a lifelong athlete, Don made an indelible contribution to the local sports scene. He ran several marathons, including Philadelphia and Portland, which he ran with Catherine in 1997. He built Milford’s first racquetball court and was a fixture on tennis courts throughout southern Delaware. He and Pat were a formidable doubles team, winning numerous titles at Shawnee Country Club and a tournament in Nassau they entered at the last minute with rented racquets.
Don served as a dedicated hitting partner and mentor for dozens of area players, many of whom remember his words of wisdom to this day. He co-coached girl’s tennis at Milford High School beginning in Julie’s junior year and helped lead them to a state championship in 1997, Cara’s senior year. He also coached the boys’ team in 2006. Don advocated passionately to improve and preserve the courts at Rehoboth Elementary where there is now a thriving tennis and pickleball scene.
In 1999, Don won a bronze medal for pole vaulting at the National Senior Olympics in Orlando. He also coached his 99-year-old father-in-law, Bud Macky, to a gold medal in racewalking in 1995.
Deeply interested in spirituality, wellness and fitness throughout his life, Don was an early practitioner of meditation and reflexology. This passion led his daughter, Julie, to pursue a career in massage therapy and sound healing. He had a deep reverence for the beauty of the natural world and delighted in sharing rare phenomena such as a tree full of white ibises or a luna moth at rest with family and friends.
Don was a devoted Granddad to Catherine’s children, Zoë and Tate. He helped them learn how to swim, ride bikes, play tennis and he found endless ways to entertain them (and many other young children in his life) through playful stories, giant bubbles and inventive backyard and beach games.
The community mourned the passing of Don.
“Don lived a rich and full life,” Kay Isaacs Greene posted on his memory book,” He will be missed by so many. He was a great guy.”
Don’s godson, Bryan C. Masten also commented.
“Don was a wonderful man, and I was proud to call him my godfather,” Masten said. “Could not have asked for a better person to have in my life. He will be missed deeply.”
Deborah Annand offered her condolences to Pat and the family, sending peace and hugs to them.
“Many, many years ago, Donnie called to wish me happy birthday,” Barbara Tebbens Ellis said. “He had seen my mother and she told him it was my birthday. That is the kind of caring, thoughtful person he was. My love goes out to Pat and the girls.”
Don is survived by his deeply loyal and loving wife of 59 years, Pat; daughter Catherine Carr and her husband Scot of Seattle, Washington; daughter Julie Fisher and her partner, Jeff Rice of Ocean View, Delaware; daughter Cara Fisher and her fiancé, Chris Staples, of Nashville, Tennessee; and grandchildren Zoë Frances and William Tate Carr.
Don was preceded in death by his parents and his older brother, Ted Fisher.
A memorial service will be held at Avenue United Methodist Church, located at 20 North Church Street in Milford on Saturday, April 18 at 11 AM. Visitation will begin at 9 AM and a reception at the church immediately following. The family will host an informal 5k run/walk in Don’s memory at Killen’s Pond State Park the morning of Sunday, April 19, 2026. More details will follow at a later date.
Don touched countless lives with his lifelong enthusiasm for learning and teaching, his generosity of time and spirit, and his special ability to connect deeply with people of all ages and backgrounds with empathy and wisdom.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Milford or Rehoboth Parks and Recreation, People’s Place or the charity of your choice. We also invite you to honor Don’s memory by finding the joy and beauty in a flock of snow geese settling into a field, a perfectly placed backhand or the sunshine sparkling on the waves.
