Henry Fisher, Scott executive

Henry Day Fisher, 90, formerly of West Chester, a retired Scott Paper Co. executive and volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, died Wednesday, Sept. 3, of kidney failure at his retirement home in Willow Street, Lancaster County.

Mr. Fisher spent a 35-year career with Scott, now part of Kimberly-Clark. He retired in 1985 as vice president of the natural resources division. Although his work was demanding, he found time for family, hobbies, social outreach, and church activities, his relatives said in a tribute.

The son and grandson of Baptist missionaries, he was born in Sendai, Japan, where his family had taken refuge after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 destroyed its home in Yokohama.

Mr. Fisher graduated from the American School in Japan at age 17 and moved to the United States so he could attend Oberlin College. There he met his future wife, Jean Corbett. He graduated in three years with a bachelor's degree in chemistry in order to join the Army.

During World War II, Mr. Fisher was a first lieutenant in the Military Intelligence Service. He served from March 1945 to June 1946. First he honed his language skills, then he shipped out to become translator and interpreter for Gen. Douglas MacArthur's technical section in the South Pacific.

He was decorated with the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Medal, American Theater Medal, Philippine Liberation Medal, and Army of Occupation Medal for Japan.

He returned home and earned his master's and doctoral degrees from the Institute of Paper Chemistry at Lawrence University in 1950 before signing on with Scott.

Like many World War II veterans, he didn't open up about his Army experiences right away, but as time passed, he became nostalgic.

"When I was growing up, he didn't talk about it, but in his last days, he was going out to grade schools and talking about the contributions of veterans," said son Stephen C..

A longtime Presbyterian elder, Mr. Fisher at various times was active at churches in Haverford Township, West Chester, and Lancaster County.

His family said he didn't just espouse his Christian values, he lived them.

"If he wasn't liberating snowbound cars on Christmas Eve, shoveling mud in central Pennsylvania for victims of Hurricane Agnes, or pounding nails in a Habitat for Humanity home in North Philadelphia, he was assisting refugee families from Hungary or Afghanistan as they adapted to life in the United States," his family said.

He helped to organize the Greater Philadelphia Habitat for Humanity affiliate, and then went on to found the first Habitat for Humanity chapter in Chester County. In recognition of this, he was awarded WCAU's Spirit of Philadelphia Award in 1986.

His hobbies included travel, sailing, water skiing, photography, tennis, and genealogy.

Mr. Fisher acted as surrogate father to his nieces and nephews, and was a sounding board for everyone around him, his son said.

Besides his son, he is survived by his wife of 69 years; another son, William H.; three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and six nieces and nephews. A daughter, Susan Fisher Womack, died in 2009.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at Highland Presbyterian Church, 500 E. Roseville Rd., Lancaster. A visitation starts at 3 p.m. Burial is private.

Donations may be made to Habitat for Humanity via www.habitat.org/ or by contacting one of the organization's local chapters.