As the university community copes with the death of Mark Fisher ’06, students have come together in remembrance and celebration of Fisher’s life here at Fairfield.
Laid to rest on Oct. 17 at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Sparta, N.J., Fisher is remembered as a “loving person who always made people smile.”
A passage read by Monsignor Paul Knauer from the Bible’s Book of Wisdom at the liturgy on Oct. 17 illustrated that a full life is not demonstrated by one’s age.
Reflecting on Fisher’s life, Knauer read, “…the righteous, though they die early, will be at rest. For old age is not honored for length of time, or measured by number of years; but understanding is gray hair for anyone, and a blameless life is ripe old age.”
Fisher’s father and brother remembered Fisher’s childhood days.
“He always said how much he loved his friends,” said Fisher’s father, Michael. “He enjoyed life.”
Fisher’s brother, Michael, remembered childhood holidays spent with his family.
“I’ll never forget when my brother, Mark, and my sister, Alexis, gave me solar glasses,” he said. “I’ll never forget how excited they were and I got excited too.”
After coping with their mother’s diagnosis of cancer, Michael remembered Mark’s optimism for her survival.
“Mark always said, ‘Don’t worry, Mommy will be home for Christmas,'” said Michael in response to their mother’s hospitalization.
After Fisher’s family spoke, Mark’s best friend from Andover, N.J., Cliff Cino, was invited to share a poem he wrote.
“When I get to heaven, there will be no lines at White Castle / it will always be opening day for Little League / it will never rain on the baseball field / and there will always be rice and beans with the meat,” said Cino, a friend of Fisher’s since kindergarten.
Not a dry eye remained in the church filled with at least 600 of Fisher’s family and friends. Mourners then exited the church, proceeding to the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover, N.J., where Fisher was laid to rest last Friday morning.
Rev. Jim Bowler, S.J., resident Jesuit of Kostka and Claver Halls, organized a memorial service on Oct. 19 in a lounge in Claver.
“I felt that this [mass] needed to communicate that Mark is still with us,” said Bowler. “People could come together with, for, and to Mark.”
Fisher’s resident assistant, Teresa Correa ’05, attended the service and felt that the service was very beneficial to the community.
“The people who attended were close to Mark,” Correa said, regarding the approximately 15 attendees. “When Mark’s friend, Terrance, spoke about how he knew Fish, some people smiled during his speech. At first, it seemed a little awkward, but it seemed appropriate considering Fisher’s character.”
A memorial mass, presided by President Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., was held at the Egan Chapel of St. Ignatius of Loyola on Oct. 21. With standing room only, the chapel was filled with at least 400 students, faculty, and administrators. Fisher’s family was also in attendance.
Rev. Terrence Devino, S.J., addressed the crowd and said, “Mark always looked for the best in life. His smile changed everything and always saw the glass as half full, not half empty. We have come together as a community to remember Mark.”
Mark’s father, Michael, spoke at the end of the mass.
“Mark had a tough decision to make when football was disbanded,” he said. “Mark decided to return to Fairfield because of his family here. He loved everyone here.”
Despite the grief they felt, students reacted positively to the memorial services.
“I absolutely loved the number of people who came,” said Vincent Sweeney ’06, a best friend of Fisher from Fairfield. “Mark was unique. He made you feel great and always positive, no matter what was going on in your life. He was the glue that held us together.”
Sweeney said he and Mark’s closest friends traveled to the New Jersey shoreline last weekend to remember Fisher and to celebrate his life.
“We wanted to remember the good,” he said. “Mark would take anything for us, and it’s a big void to fill.”
“I never got a chance to tell him I loved him,” Sweeney said. “But I know now that he knows how much we loved him.”
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