Stephen Gurney Fisher's Obituary
Stephen Gurney Fisher, was born on Mother’s Day May 9, 1948, to loving parents, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
His family was so very happy with their first-born son in arms that his father began purchasing birthday cakes for his first day, his first week and first months. At his first year his father purchased another birthday cake, at the same Squirrel Hill bakery. On that very day the baker was so impressed she offered to bake Stephen’s bar mitzvah cake.
Stephen’s early years were spent with his parents, Ben and Rosalis Fisher, and grandmothers Bubbe Fisher and Grandma Grams Gurne, and sister Marlene, exploring and playing in the many Pittsburg parks.
Stephen's early relationships molded his life and his childhood friendships flourished for more than 70 years with sincere earnest.
Stephen graduated from Alderdice High and pursued a college education at CW Post College in Long Island and at the College of Visual Arts in Manhattan. When he completed his college education, he discovered a defining interest and love of horticulture.
Stephen lived at Cobbs Woods and worked at the Johnson Estate Winery in Northern NY. When he determined it was too cold he moved south to discover Florida.
Stephen built a horticulture business in Homestead Florida growing beautiful tropical and flowering plants and hanging baskets along with mangos, avocados, lychee, bananas, limes and many organic vegetables. He happily continued to grow edibles and expanded to an even more horticulturally inspired business growing tropical ornamental and foliage in south Dade County at a new location at Fisher Nursery where he grew 22” hanging and exotic flowering plants for the Florida restaurant trade and plant boutiques.
In the early 1970’s he met his wife, Phyllis at a Spiritual Retreat in Homestead Florida, when she and a friend came to purchase fruits and vegetables that he was growing. Stephen and Phyllis went on to be best of friends and married and the parents of four wonderful children, Blossom, Garland, Sunny and Benjamin, along with two precious grandchildren, Sienna Rose Shores and Crimson Fisher. They were blessed to be married over 50 years and enjoyed a lifelong spiritual bond.
In 1980, Stephen moved his family to North Florida to live a quiet life and purchased 5 acres in a rural farming community where two of his children were born. He raised his family growing many of the foods they needed to be healthy. Blueberries, persimmons chestnuts, pecans, apple pears, garlic and many seasonal vegetables just to name a few. He also naturally developed his new business Fisher Landscape Design & Consultation offering a premier horticultural and landscape planning experience, using authentic green methods that work for you and the environment. Go to https://www.creativelandscapeservices.com to see the amazing, landscaped environments, and creative landscape projects he and his family created. He loved working with his sons and thoroughly enjoyed working outdoors.
Stephen was nicknamed "Baron" by his friends who he goofed off with for over 6o years and some even longer. He possessed the ability to connect with each of his friends giving them true friendship and the solace to just be themselves.
Stephen touched the lives of many with his profound sense of humor, warmth, creativity, and lovable kindhearted nature. He discovered his philosophical and spiritual interests and connections in reading the New Testament which began his journey of understanding the Old Testament more profoundly. He called himself a Messianic Jew or an ethnically Jewish man who believed that Jesus, Yeshua in Hebrew, is the Messiah. He sweetly combined his Jewish heritage with faith in Jesus, observing traditional Jewish prayers and practices while embracing the New Testament and our Divine Father’s Love to all humankind.
In loving remembrance of Stephen, A Blessed Life Celebration and Memorial Service will be Saturday, March 14th at 2pm at Lifesong in Quincy, Florida.
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