Former city athletic administrator passed away at age 73
Randy Fisher, remembered by many longtime Kissimmee residents as the smiling, energetic face of its Parks and Recreation athletic programs, passed away earlier this month at age 73.
He’s remembered as an energetic program leader who put all of his energy and spirit into making sure the residents of Kissimmee, young and old, got the best experience out of their city programs.
“I saw it right when he applied,” said former Kissimmee Parks & Recreation Dan Loubier. “He got involved with everything and everyone. He was exceptional and outstanding, everything he did he committed to.”
Fisher started with the city in 1982 and spent the first four years as a utility worker and computer systems operator; he often talked about being of the age of punch cards and using “the new” IBM System 34 computers the city acquired in the mid-80s.
In 1989, following the passing of longtime city Athletics Supervisor Terry Stewart, “I’ve got a tough act to follow,” co-workers said he admitted, before running with that torch for the next 25 years, overseeing hundreds of annual programs, events, camps and leagues, and helped the city get its Fortune Road Athletic Complex out of the ground in 2005 as its project manager and up and running by mid-2006. For his last two years with the city before retiring in the fall of 2014, he added Public Facilities and Special Projects Supervisor to his repertoire.
Loubier said Fisher was the first hire he made when he came to work for the city.
“It’s a great loss because he was a great guy, and just so passionate about the city, the job and his employees,” Loubier said. “I saw it right when he applied.”
During Fisher’s tenure he brought a full-fledged slate of Senior Games events to the city, served on the Central Florida Youth Football Federation board, formed a non-profit organization around the annual Terry Stewart Foundation Golf Tournament that became the Friends of Kissimmee Parks.
And, as Fisher’s family attests, that spirit also lived at home.
“He definitely loved his family, he never missed any big events,” daughter Rachelle Mercado said. “And since I was his favorite volunteer I got to see a lot of him at work helping with so many city events. We couldn’t go anywhere in Kissimmee without seeing someone he knew or someone who knew him, and they had to stop and talk.”
Current Parks & Recreation Director Steve Lackey worked with Fisher when he took on the Public Facilities role—and ran with it.
“He knew he was needed, and he was used to having his hands in everything, and his did a great job,” he said. “His love of sports extended beyond the city, and he was involved beyond what he did just for Kissimmee.”
In retirement, Fisher didn’t let the grass grow under his feet— he actually helped maintain it, becoming a Master Gardner through Extension Services when he wasn’t traveling and serving at his church.
“He was definitely a mover and shaker right up until the end,” Mercado said.
Randy George Fisher was born on June 14, 1952 in Peoria, Ill. to Paul Edward Fisher and Georgia Louise Fisher. He came to Kissimmee in the early 1980s when his wife Gloria got a job in the area. While it took no time for Randy to ingrain himself in Kissimmee, he stayed true to his hometown, arranging bus trips to see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on his beloved Chicago Bears.
The family will host an intimate invitation-only gathering to honor Fisher’s life in the coming days.
