Virginia M. Fischer

Virginia Mary Fischer, 89, of Bluffton, SC, passed away at NHC Healthcare Bluffton on Sunday, August 20, 2017. Virginia was born January 26, 1928 in San Francisco, CA to William and Mary Kathleen Sugrue. Her parents moved their young family to Alameda, CA when Virginia was 2, where they raised her and her siblings. She graduated from Notre Dame High School, an all-girls Catholic school in 1945. She married the love of her life in 1952 and spent her days raising her own family until her youngest began school. She then began to work outside of the home, eventually becoming an administrative assistant at Illinois Benedictine College and Eastern Illinois University, retiring at age 62 and earning a Bachelor of Arts degree at age 67! Virginia is survived by her 5 children: daughter Mary (Jack) Walsh, son Peter (Jo Kearney) Fischer, daughter Eileen Fischer, daughter Margaret (Vince) Oneal and son Paul (Jill) Fischer, her 14 grandchildren: Monica Skeels, James Walsh, Teresa Bochula, Tyler Knodell, Benjamin Knodell, Alexander Knodell, Joseph Oneal, Kathleen Oneal, Carolyn Oneal, Robert Fischer, Angela Dreisbach, Kristen Fischer, Michael Fischer and Cassandra Fischer, her 6 great-grandchildren: Carter Skeels, Jack Walsh, Elaine Knodell, Max Knodell, Lorelei Dreisbach and Mila Fischer, 2 of her siblings: sister, Joan (Richard) Hayden and brother Thomas (Faye) Sugrue and sister-in-law, Cathy Sugrue. Her loving husband of 63 years, George Fischer, as well as her brothers Francis Sugrue, James Sugrue, William Sugrue and her sister Kathleen Rodriguez, predeceased Virginia. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. In addition to raising her 5 children, she enjoyed gardening and loved music and reading. Growing up just steps away from the San Francisco Bay in Alameda, she developed a love for the water very early in her life, passed that love on to her children and continued to enjoy water activities well into her late 80’s. More than anything she loved to look at houses after church every Sunday, always searching for the perfect home. She and George lived in 13 homes during their 63-year marriage. She was a devout Catholic and a member of St. Gregory the Great Church in Bluffton. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm, Friday, September 1, 2017, at Sauls Funeral Home, 90 Simmonsville Road, Bluffton, SC 29910. The family will be receiving friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home (at 1:00pm). A private (family) reception will be held immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (alzfdn.org).