Jesus answered: "Truly I tell you today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43
We have come together today to celebrate the life of Anne Lamberson Fisher. Anne was wonderful and a beautiful soul; a loving and devoted wife of 42 years, a proud mother and an even more proud grandmother (Mimi), a loyal and dependable friend, a competitive spirit, a distinguished and classy lady, a woman of upmost character with a larger-than-life personality, a strong-willed woman with a sharp mind and great wit, a stock broker who excelled in her career, and last but certainly not least, one of the most humorous and funny people you will ever meet. And while she fit the bill on all of those superlatives and then some, she was the woman that carried me in her womb, helped me learn to walk and talk, applied my first Band-Aid, took me to school, taught me how to dance, dragged me to church, helped me with my homework, my best friend, my rock, the main woman and love of my life, or as I have always known her..."Mom"
And while the reality of why I am standing here today is still painful for us all-the passing of a sister in faith is not the end, it's only a temporary "goodbye." You see, where my mom is right now, there is no more pain or sorrow; no more trips to the doctor, no more surgeries or follow up visits. She's truly in paradise, enjoying her new Heavenly Body and resting in the arms of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. For that very reason, we can still be joyful despite our broken hearts. In fact, my mom wouldn't want any one of us to be sad right now and this is a celebration of her life, so to lift our spirits like she always seemed to do, I would like to share some glimpses into her life with some of the memories that I treasure...
My sister and I were blessed to grow up in such a loving home with two parents that were totally and completely devoted to one another. Mom loved dad more than anything in this world. And dad-your truly lived out your wedding vows, for better and for worse, until death do we part. My earliest memory of mom and dad is that the two of them loved to dance together or 'shag' as was popular during the sixties in the South.
In the 1980s, when we were still young enough to have a babysitter, Leslie and I would hear mom and dad come home from their evenings out and many of those nights we would hear the stereo. If a picture tells a story, I will always remember sneaking to the stairs to the edge of the bannister and watching mom and dad boogying down in our den to Chaka Kahn's "I Feel For You." Knowing that it was long past our bedtime and risking getting in trouble, Leslie and I eventually ended up on the dance floor as well, the shag green rug that covered the floor of our home in Greenville, SC, and our parents were thrilled to switch partners- Leslie and dad, me and mom.
We listened to quite a bit of Gospel music in our home through the years. From the Reverend Al Green to the Honorable Otis Redding, The Tams and The Tymes, The Drifters and The Spinners, The Commodores and The Temptations, The Queen of Soul, The Godfather of Funk, Billy Stewart and The Chi-Lites, Sly and the Family Stone, Michael Jackson and Wilson Pickett, Jackie Wilson, Hall & Oates, and last but certainly not least, Marvin Gaye-this great music was what my mom enjoyed so passionately and it not only provided the most beautiful soundtrack to our lives, but also built the foundation for all of the music that I still enjoy today.
Many people don't realize it but it was my mom that planted the seeds that would eventually sprout into my passion and obsession for music. In the seventies, long before iPods and iPads and sound machines and FM radio being a standard, my mom was the one who placed a black and white GE clock radio beside my crib to help soothe me. The smooth sounds of the 70s AM Gold allowed me to cope and calm me and it grabbed a hold of me and has never let go.As a young child, I couldn't have been maybe five or six, mom first taught me to dance one of our many family beach trips off of the coast of South Carolina. I was too short to even be a suitable dance partner, so I distinctly remember standing on the tops of mom's feet while Billy Stewart's "Sitting In The Park" played from the deck in the setting summer sun.
Many years later, it was mom who encouraged me to find a new interest was because she was concerned about me. I was in the 7th grade in 1987 and was not showing much interest in sports and girls and some of the things that some of the 'normal' guys were into. One day mom said to me "Will, you need to find something else to collect other than those little action figures and 'robot thingies.' How about collecting something else like music?" One afternoon, mom took me to the Record Bar on Laurens Road in Greenville, SC and bought me my very first U2 and Cure albums. My life was forever changed. "The rest is history" as they say and a few years later, I DJ'd my very first high school dance which eventually lead me to being hired as an on-air disc jockey for an FM radio station during my senior year at Springwood School. Mom's influence over my life simply cannot be overstated.
Mom was always upbeat. She never knew a stranger and, man, she could always make you smile with her witty sayings and incredible sense of humor. She was the life of a party, better yet, she was the party, no matter who was there or how many people were around. Mom was often doing or saying something funny and everyone, myself included, would gravitate to her just to hear what she was going to say next. One Spring, close to Easter, I recall asking mom what she had given up for Lent. Always quick with a witty response, she said "John Tesh and cabbage." I replied, "mom, you don't like either one of those." She looked at me with that infectious smile of hers and said "Exactly!"
Mom was never into all the country kitchen stuff and was convinced that if hell had a restaurant on earth, it was the Cracker Barrel. We would often joke that we were going there for a meal almost anytime she got into a moving vehicle.
She always had nicknames for her family and friends; sometimes for people she barely even knew. As a young child, mom used to joke that I barely ate enough food to sustain life, so she anointed me "The Bangladesh Child." While I cannot say in church what she used to lovingly refer to me from during the years1984-1993 (here's a hint- it sounds like "little hit" with an 's' before the hit.), my all-time favorite nickname was the one she reserved for dad..."The Ayatollah."
When one of her nearest and dearest friends, Nannie Ferguson came to work with mom as a stockbroker, she quickly dubbed their partnership "Two Old Bags."
Her ability to conjure laughter despite the situation also shaped me and my sister's personalities tremendously and mom's sense of humor has been passed on to both of her grandsons as well.
My mom was the most competitive person I have ever known. If she was playing a sport like tennis or golf, she was out for blood and wanted to win. Heck, even playing board games as a family was quite the event. She could make a game as simple as Jenga as important as The Super Bowl. She never did anything halfway-it was all or nothing with mom. She was a phenomenal athlete and passed down every bit of her natural talents onto my sister, Leslie. I definitely have mom's drive, strong will, and competitiveness, but let's face it, winning awards for artwork isn't nearly as spectacular as Leslie winning the MVP Award and state championship and being the all-time high scorer for the Lady Wildcats!
Behind mom's larger-than-life persona was a very affectionate, nurturing, and loving woman. For me, it was often times after everyone was asleep, mom and I would still be going strong and there were countless nights, just me and her sitting outside by the pool or watching tv and she would run her hands through my hair and tell me that she loved me. One thing I can say is that I never questioned how she felt about me one single time over the past forty years and I know my sister shares the same sentiments.
Mom is alive and well and all of these characteristics that made her the extraordinary woman that we all love and miss have been passed down to both me and Leslie as well as both of her grandchildren, Elliott and Elijah. Her influence will be carried on by my father and every one of her friends as you simply cannot deny that the world was a better place because she was in it.
I close with a verse of scripture that seems befitting for today. Luke 23:43. One of Jesus's final moments as He hung on he cross in Galilee along side two criminals. One of the criminals mocked Him, but the other knew who He was and believed in his Jesus answered him, "Truly I tell you today you will be with me in paradise."
Mom is in heaven now, where she will spend the rest of eternity. Her paradise is most definitely on a relaxing sandy beach somewhere out there, where the party is hopping, the cabbage is scarce and John Tesh ain't hanging around. The only music that can be found there is R&B/Soul and the official dance of the land is the 'shag.' The stock market is always bullish and Cracker Barrels do not litter every exit along the highways. She can always find a tee time, all of her sisterhood is nearby and she wins every game of bridge that she plays, along with every tennis match and by now, mom has even mastered the art and skill of Jenga. She is surrounded in love, by her Heavenly Father and I cannot wait to be reunited with her there. So, until we meet again... I THANK YOU. I am so grateful for the past 40 years that you were my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my greatest influence and the love of my life. You have touched the hearts of everyone who has ever known you, but I can say without hesitation that I am truly the most blessed to be your son. I know you'll be sitting in the park waiting for me...
Forever yours, Your Bangladesh Child and "Little Hit with an 's'"
