Hubert Fisher

Hubert Lendall (H.L.) Fisher was born October 5, 1916, in Cowgill, Missouri. He grew up on midwest farms where he learned to be frugal, creatively inventive and a hard worker. When the opportunity arose in the mid-1930s, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in northwest Missouri. In 1937 H.L. was among the first to take a job in the fledgling airline industry at TWA (Trans World Airlines) in Kansas City, Missouri. The farm experiences that formed him were great assets as he worked his way up the ladder of jobs at TWA to become the foreman of a large crew at the airline's overhaul base. He honed a talent for managing his crews that earned their respect, loyalty and their nicknames for him - "Iron Pants" and "Mr. Clean". He retired from TWA in 1977. In 1940 H.L. Fisher married Maurene McConnel of Breckenridge, Missouri. Ever after he lovingly referred to Maurene as his "bride". H.L. and his bride enjoyed traveling in their small campers - touring the lower 48, Canada and Alaska. One of their greatest joys together was ballroom dancing. By the mid 1980's they had become regular "Snowbirds" in Surprise, Arizona. H.L. took up ATV riding with a passion - "playing in the dirt" as he called it. In 1997 H.L. and his bride established permanent residence in Wickenburg, Arizona. He rode with friends from Sunflower Resort in Surprise and later with friends in Wickenburg's Westpark retirement community, where they lived. He referred to himself as a "Missouri hillbilly who became an Arizona desert rat." His last ATV ride with family was the day before his 97th birthday - 46 miles. H.L. was noted for his feats of engineering, self-taught from his early farming days. Working on metal projects was his avocation. He was constantly challenging himself to improve a device, make his own one-of-a-kind tool for a task, or figure out how some mechanism worked. He was an avid tinkerer. In 2003 H.L.'s bride passed away in their 62nd year of marriage. H.L. is survived by daughter Carol (Skip) of Colorado, son Lindall "Lin" (Nancy) of Washington state; 4 granddaughters (which he numbered by age): #1 Kathy, #2 Jeanette, #3 Carrie, #4 Niki; grandson Nat; great grandchildren Elizabeth, Dalton, Shayla, Tyla, Sarah, Cobin; great great grandchildren Emma and James. H.L. will be dearly missed by all who knew him for his unique sense of humor, his love for his family, his iron will (never wore jeans or sneakers) and his work ethic. As he would say - "Drive on H.L." A memorial celebration of life will be held in the fall in Westpark, date and time to be determined. The family has suggested memorial contributions in Hubert's name may be made to Banner Hospice, 275 E. Germann Rd., Suite 110, Gilbert, AZ 85297.