Stanley Ray Fisher

After reaching the age of 90 and earning the honor of being the eldest known male relative in his family tree, Stanley Ray Fisher quietly died on the morning of April 11, 2026, in St. George, Utah. Always a competitor, he lived a long and full life of faith, family, and fun adventures.

Stan was born to Ray and Virginia Peterson Fisher on January 19, 1936, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He loved sharing stories with his children and grandchildren of his (now) funny misadventures of his childhood spent menacing church, school, and family. He was big brother to Gary and Anne (Stam), the founder and leader of his Webster Elementary School pencil stealing gang, a non-starring but somewhat willing singer in Granite Junior High Boys’ Chorus, and a most-definitely reluctant high school student. He did not enjoy high school and spent many days leading his friends to join him as he ditched classes. When he was tired of getting in trouble, he and his buddy Tom hitchhiked south, hoping to escape to an idyllic life in Los Angeles. They made it as far as Beaver, where a policeman intervened, called their fathers, and kept them safe for the night, shivering in a dirty jail cell. After he was expelled from Granite High for excessive absences, his dad gave him an ultimatum: re-enroll at school and regularly attend or join the Navy. The decision was an easy one. He eagerly accompanied his dad to the Navy recruiting office and joined before his 18th birthday. He would always tell any who would listen that this was one of the best decisions of his life.

Dad served in the Navy during the Korean War, much of which was spent on a submarine. He learned how to peel potatoes; use radio, sonar, and radar equipment; and make a bed. And he gained an interest and skill in electronics, leading him to enroll at the University of Utah on the GI Bill as an electrical engineering student. 13 years, 3 universities, 4 moves, and 5 kids later, he would walk across the stage and receive his diploma, cum laude, from Marquette University. His wife Lynda sat in the audience, beaming.

By the time he graduated, it had been 12 years since Stan and Lynda Brownrigg had married in 1957. She had been the girlfriend of his best friend, Slim, who had taken him to meet her at the diner where she was waitressing. Smitten by her looks and always game for a competition, he returned, solo, later that night to win her heart. They were married six months later. His previously best friend did not attend the wedding festivities.

After graduating from Marquette and already employed at Delco Electronics, he landed the promotion of his dreams, which required moving his large family to London, England, where they would live for the next ten years in the towns of Oxshott and Esher, Surrey, and set out to enjoy England and Europe to the fullest. Travels took them to Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Morocco, Egypt, and Israel and all over the English countryside, often on foot, jumping over stiles, crossing sheep studded fields, and wandering through green and verdant English woods. It was in England that he developed a passion for running. Having never been an athlete in his youth and with the running craze of the 1970s in full force, he bought himself a pair of trainers and started running the country roads surrounding our home, Winterdown. He wasn’t fast, but he was fiercely competitive, and he fostered that spirit of competitiveness in his kids, hosting “friendly” family races as well as family weeding contests and later, family Thanksgiving pie contests. Three more kids were born in England to round out the already large family.

A lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the move to England provided opportunities for Dad to serve in ways that would grow his faith and prove his dedication to loving and serving God and others. During these years, he served as scout leader, stake missionary (in the days when you were expected to put in 10 hours per week, all while working full time and attending university), bishop of the Kingston Ward, and stake presidency counselor of the Staines England Stake. He loved every minute of serving the members in England.

In 1979, he moved his family to West Bend, Wisconsin, where he absolutely and resolutely detested the cold. Winter mornings were spent shoveling snow and driving the snowy back roads to Milwaukee, only to be repeated the next morning after a night of blowing winds. Pipes were thawed, engines were warmed up, frozen farm animals were disposed of, and nights were spent shivering and dreaming of warmer climates. One day he had enough. He met with his boss and begged for the chance to relocate to California. Prayers were answered, and they packed the maroon Caprice Classic and headed west on a frozen February day. Every morning while living and working in Santa Barbara, he would join with the other Delco engineers in a cheerful refrain, “Another day in paradise.” He owned homes in Goleta, Santa Ynez, and Lompoc.

After Stan took an early retirement and moved to Tucson, Arizona (he loved the heat), he took in his grandson Jason to raise as one of his own children, bringing the total to 10. He was always proud of his “quiverfull” of children.

In Tucson, he tried his hand at real estate and then decided to do something he had dreamed of since he was a young child: drive a semi-truck. He drove cross-country with his wife as a team driver for three adventurous years and then returned to engineering at Raytheon Missile Systems and finally, FiberSense.

His “real” retirement allowed a final move to St. George, a return to his Utah homeland. He had never imagined a move back to Utah, but he absolutely loved everything about St. George: the desert heat, the red rock running trails, the yearly St. George marathon, meeting with the Sons of Utah Pioneers chapter, skiing at Brian Head, and being close enough to visit each of his grandkids but far enough away that he didn’t have to babysit each weekend. He loved attending the temple, working in his yard, drinking Diet Pepsi, and taking long trips in his RV, most of which included visiting his children and grandchildren, always attending all important religious milestones: blessings, baptisms, marriages, and mission farewells and homecomings. With enough coaxing, he might even attend a grandchild’s long and confusing baseball or football game.

Stanley was called to serve as a stake patriarch of the Bloomington Hills St. George Stake, a calling he actively held for more than 12 years, giving 793 blessings. He often gave two to three blessings a week, visiting the temple for inspiration before each one. His favorite blessings were those he gave to his very own grandchildren. It is a memory each will long cherish.

COVID was an unwanted disruption for all. For Stanley, it was accompanied by the illness and passing of his wife Lynda, the closing of his cherished temple, and an end to his active status as Patriarch Fisher. A fall and broken neck while on a run at the local park then brought his running days to an end and made mobility more challenging. His granddaughter Emily, following an answer to prayers, relocated to St. George to move into his home and allow him to stay living there for three more years. Those years were followed by two years living with his children on a rotating basis, and finally, a move to Oasis Senior Living, where loving caregivers laughed with him, wrote down “Stanisms,” and treated him with respect, love, and care. We will forever be grateful.

Stanley leaves a large legacy of family. He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Lynda Brownrigg Fisher, and his brother Gary. He leaves behind the ten children he raised: Thomas (Susan) Fisher of Sandy, Utah; Patricia (Benson) Fisher Ramone of Ephraim, Utah; Suzanne Gergetz of St. George, Utah; Rebekah (Bill) Shaw of Saratoga Springs, Utah; Rachel (Rich) Scholes of Tucson, Arizona; Nathan (Melissa) Fisher of West Bountiful, Utah; Mark Caleb (Leana) Fisher of Severna Park, Maryland; Joshua (Sarah) Fisher of Austin, Texas; Elizabeth (Thomas) Dansie of Hurricane, Utah; and Jason (Kate) Nez of Tucson, Arizona; as well as his sister Anne and her husband Craig Stam of West Valley City, Utah.

He will be forever missed but remembered by his 48 grandchildren: Tristan Fisher, Sarah Fisher, Jolyon Fisher, Adam Fisher, Matthew Ramone, Jason Nez, Cheyenne Ramone, Brady Ramone, Tashina Foki, Stefan Ramone, Seth Gergetz, Zachary Gergetz, Grace Gergetz, Emma Gergetz, Erin Murdock, Eden Gergetz, Daniel Vogt, William Shaw, Taylor Shaw, Sheldon Shaw, Conner Shaw, Raegan Shaw, Evan Shaw, Emily Scholes, Micah Scholes, Hannah Scholes, Noah Scholes, Lucy Holtom, Samuel Scholes, Elijah Scholes, Kristin Rierson, Samantha Maine, Camerin Fisher, Micaela Baugh, Elyas Fisher, Jethro Fisher, Emme-Claire Alvarado, Declan Fisher, Hannah Fisher, Haley Fisher, Isaac Fisher, Ethan Fisher, Porter Dansie, Eliza Dansie, James Dansie, Amelia Dansie; and 41 (soon to be 42) great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Monday, April 27, 2026, at 11 a.m. at the Bloomington Hills 6th Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 750 E Fort Pierce Dr., St. George, Utah, with viewings in the same location held on Sunday, April 26, 2026, from 5-7 p.m. and Monday before the service from 9:30-10:30 a.m. A private family viewing will be from 10:30-11 a.m.

Funeral services may be viewed by clicking the livestream below.