Jake's Take: Bob Fisher's impact on the world will never be duplicated

My earliest memory of Bob Fisher was seeing him courtside at my high school basketball games back in the day.

My favorite memory of Fish came from our time on the golf course.

And I'll never forget the last time I saw him.

Fish passed away last Thursday after a long illness in which he battled like a true champion. His impact on the world will be felt for a very, very long time.

Bob was a freelance sportswriter for the News Journal for 33 years, and that is where I first actually met him. He covered a few of my games when I played high school basketball and it was always a joy to see him stroll in with his bag that was chock-full of pens and different colored markers. The guy had a different color for every stat he could possibly take. I remember years later when we worked the News Journal All-Star Classic together and he set his bag down beside him. I looked in there and swore there were some pens and markers still in there from when I played a decade earlier.

But my family's connection with Bob started well before I was even born. My dad played slow-pitch softball with Bob back in the '80s. Bob was more of a manager back then, but one weekend Bob went out and bought a brand new bat for the team. He let my dad use it for a weekend tournament and he blasted something like eight home runs in those two days. By the end of the tournament, Bob took home the team trophy and gave my dad the bat.

That's the kind of dude he was. Willing to give, give and give and never expected a single thing in return.

My mom went to Mansfield Business College where Bob worked in various different positions over the course of his professional career. So they knew each other from back then and reconnected when she would go to softball tournaments all over the state.

Not that long ago, Bob was in my summer golf league at Woody Ridge Golf Course. And I will never forget our round of golf together. I want to say I one-putted seven of the nine greens we played that day. Played the round of my life, and Bob was my opponent. I took a lot of points off of him and, being a competitor, Bob could have easily gotten upset, thrown his clubs in the car and gone home.

I know I would have.

Instead, Bob proceeded to stick around in the clubhouse and tell anyone and everyone who walked through the door the story of my putting, which I have yet to replicate. He spoke like he was proud despite dropping all those points.

That's the kind of dude he was. Loved celebrating other people's accomplishments rather than put any attention on himself.

Then came the last time I ever saw him. I was standing on the sidelines at the Shelby football game in Week 1 at Skiles Field, the last game ever at the venue, waiting for kickoff. There were rumors Bob was going to make his way down to the sidelines that day. I knew he was battling some health issues and I was really excited to see him but I didn't really expect him to remember me.

As I approached, a huge grin came over his face. And I'll never forget that. He shook my hand, asked how everything was going at the News Journal, asked how his buddy Spence (Jon Spencer) was and proceeded to say how happy he was to see me.

The happiness on the other side of the handshake wouldn't have been more than I was to see him. When the sports reporter job at the News Journal came open five years ago, Bob was the one who alerted me. I couldn't believe I was the first person to come to his mind when he saw there would be an opening. That is truly humbling.

But that was Bob. Always wanting to put others in a better position than they are in.

And always wanting to bring joy to people, whether it be through his writing for the News Journal or through his unique DJ/Minister package he offered for weddings. The guy could make you do the Cha Cha Slide after making you say, "I do," when marrying the love of your life.

I mean, how much happier could one possibly make you?

And it showed in all who loved him. I regularly looked forward to seeing Facebook updates his daughter, Bekah DeEtta, would post of their post golf round scores. He would regularly hold up the card with pride whenever he took home the victory and pose with a grumpy face on when he would lose, yet you could tell deep down just how proud he was that his daughter picked up the game he loved.

But there was never more pride in Bob's eyes than when he got to bring his wife, Vicki, to the News Journal All-Star Classic banquet every year. Married for 33 years, you could tell just how proud he was to have her by his side. It almost overtook the pride he had for Michigan football. Almost.

The world will definitely be a lot different without ol' Fish around. The guy was an absolute gem. And he will be missed.

My condolences to the entire Fisher family.

And, Bob, I expect you to guide some of those putts into the cup this summer. I'll be thanking you when you do.

jfurr@gannett.com

740-244-9934

Twitter: @JakeFurr11

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Jake's Take: Bob Fisher's impact on the world will never be duplicated