William 'Bill' Fischer

William “Bill” Fischer   passed away Jan. 7, 2010,   two days shy of his 68th birthday, at his home in Harbor, his family by his side.

Bill was born Jan. 9, 1942, in Nampa, Idaho, to Herbert  and Ina Belle (Jones) Fischer.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1959. He graduated from Naval Dental School in 1961 and received an honorable discharge in 1965.  

Bill owned and operated dental laboratories in Maryland, Boise, Idaho, Florence and Brookings-Harbor.

He married Heather Butay  Sept. 10, 1999, in Winnemucca, Nev.

Bill like to travel; he and Heather had been to Jamaica twice and to the Bahamas, Mexico and Hawaii. He also liked to gamble and was always very lucky.

After moving to Brookings and unable to find their particular type of smoking tobacco, Bill and Heather opened The Wacky Tobacconist in Harbor.  They added a second location in Gold Beach in 2006. Bill enjoyed working in the store and visiting with the customers; he was very insightful and people felt very comfortable sharing their life stories with him. He was charming, intelligent, witty, and always happy to lend an ear. Whether it was at his dental lab or in the smoke shop, he was very dedicated to his work.

From a very young age, Bill was an entrepreneur with many endeavors: He went door-to-door sharpening knives and scissors; picked up leftover potatoes from farms and sold them door-to-door; bought soda and candy and resold them, with a markup, to farm workers who, back then, had no soda and candy machines.

Survivors include his wife Heather of Harbor; children Ray William Fischer of Boise,  Steve Fischer of Fresno, Calif., Tony Fischer of Eagle, Idaho, John Fischer of Eagle, Jennifer Shafer of Annapolis, Md., Kelly Florentino of Hawaii; brother Herb Fischer of Portland; sister Donna Willis of Idaho. Also surviving are seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

A celebration of Bill’s life was held Jan. 9, at the Wacky Tobacconist.

Condolences may expressed at http://www.redwoodmemorial.net.

Submitted by Redwood Memorial Chapel.