Vernon mourns death of scholar-athlete Fisher

VERNON —Votive candles, a football helmet and jersey, a blue teddy bear, bouquets, balloons, prayers and messages of love have transformed into a roadside shrine the stone retaining wall on Vernon Crossing Road. That’s where 17-year-old John Fisher’s black Audi collided after leaving the road on the rain-slick pavement at 11:47 on Sunday night, July 9. Behind the wall, the array of roses, lilies and liatris belonging to Valley Mason Supply & Garden appeared to continue the memorial into the distance. Fisher, a Vernon High School honor student and star athlete, died at 6:20 p.m. Thursday at Morristown Memorial Hospital, less than a week after the accident. Vernon Police Chief Roy Wherry said that Fisher had been on his way home after visiting friends when the accident occurred. He was alone in the car and was wearing a seat belt. What caused the accident is still under investigation, Wherry said. Patrolman James Higgins was on the scene shortly after a motorist reported the accident, Wherry added. Fisher was transported to Morristown Hospital by ambulance because electrical storms in the area kept Medivac helicopters grounded. Standing in silent prayer at the shrine on Sunday morning, July 16, friends Brianna Pappas and Joe Tamburo mourned their friend. “Fish, as we like to call him, lived life to the fullest, every day,” Tamburo said. “He was always smiling,” Pappas added. Pappas, a cheerleader, hung her head in grief, gazing down at the football team photograph at the base of the wall and recalling the many games at which she had cheered Fisher onwards. Fisher, she said, had been tapped to become a team captain in the forthcoming season. On Monday morning, July 17, there was standing room only as more than a thousand family members, teachers, teammates and friends gathered for a Mass of Christian Burial at the R. C. Church of St. Francis de Sales on Route 517 in Vernon. The Fisher home is almost next door to the contemporary Catholic church where the family worshipped every Sunday. To accommodate the crowd, the doors to the Adoration Chapel were flung aside and the social hall was filled to capacity, with the congregation viewing the mass via closed-circuit television. The sound of quiet weeping whispered through the nave as Fisher’s many friends and classmates hugged one another and held hands. The celebrant, Msgr. John Boland, pastor of St. Francis, extolled Fisher’s devotion to his faith, his family, his friends, and his teammates, and likened his life to a bright candle, mentioning particularly Fisher’s sunny disposition, deep faith, fun-loving character, gift for living every day to its fullest, and reverence for life. “If Johnny found a bug, instead of squashing it, he would look at it with wonder and show it to others,” the priest said. Among the speakers in a succession of eulogies delivered after the mass was Vernon High football coach Chuck Tepper, who mentioned Fisher’s abilities as a leader. “John started on the offensive line in every varsity game for Vernon the past two football seasons.” Tepper said. “He was a great guy, respectful, got excellent grades, he was fun to be with, and popular with his teammates, fellow students and faculty member. He was the kind of guy that went out of his way to help other people.” In addition to Tepper, other eulogists included Fisher’s Boy Scout leader, his catechist, his elder brother Gregory, and his coworkers from Pleasant Valley Lake, where he had served as a lifeguard for the past three summers. In addition to Fisher’s achievements as a football player, he also played lacrosse at Vernon High School, where he lettered in the sport this past spring. What’s more, Fisher was student representative for the Vernon Township Municipal Alliance Committee and member of the Peer group at the high school. Fisher also was deeply involved in the Police Athletic League, not only playing basketball for the league, but also coaching seventh and eighth graders. “I knew Johnny for over eight years,” said Vernon Recreation Director Patricia Seger. “This boy really gave back to community, and you never saw him without a smile. He was a great coach and great role model for the younger boys.” Sussex-Wantage School Board President Arthur Jacobs, who attended the Mass, said in a choked voice that his heart went out to the family. John Fisher’s mother, Deborah Fisher, is a teacher in the Sussex-Wantage School system. “This is such a shame, and so very, very difficult,” Jacobs said. Surviving John Fisher are his father Dr. John Fisher, his mother Deborah Fisher, his sister Mary, of Hoboken, and his brother Gregory, of Vernon.