VERONICA "RONNIE" MURRAY FISCHER (nee McGowan)

Born November 10, 1921 - Died November 9, 2013

Our mom, Ronnie Murray Fischer, left this earth just hours before her 92nd birthday to be with her heavenly family for her birthday. Ronnie was the 5th of 6 children born in Brooklyn NY to the late Mary Emma (Horne) and James Cameron McGowan. Ronnie grew up in Brooklyn and Queens and graduated from Bishop McDonald High School in 1940. She was a feisty one from birth, always competing, always athletic - she swam, dove, played basketball and all kinds of street games and loved to ride horses. She learned how to sew, to knit and to crochet from her sister, Helen. She learned how to swim and fix cars from her brother Jack. She learned how to play the piano because her mother made her and rode horses to please her father. She was quite an eclectic young lady for her time - she was never afraid to try anything.

Ronnie graduated high school to work in NYC as a secretary. WWII was over and her brother Joe brought home the love of her life - Joe Murray - to meet his sister. A short courtship of hockey games and dates at Friday night fights in the old Madison Square Garden was followed by a morning wedding on October 9, 1948.

Ten years later, there were 4 children and the family grew up in Seaford on Long Island. She was the school secretary and played the organ (with honkey tonk jazz chords) every Sunday at Mass. Summers were spent at Jones Beach, all day, every day. Some nights Dad would join us at Zach's Bay for a dinner of hot dogs on the grill. On a week when there was money left, we'd go to Carvel for a dipped cone or Flying Saucer. Sundays we went to Mass, followed by buns and rolls, bacon and eggs. We grew up simply, with much love. We think of our Mom and remember the good times.and thank her and our Dad for giving us the foundation to love and lean on each other through thick and thin. We weren't rich, life wasn't perfect, but we never knew it.

Mom of four John (Gladys), Lolly (Bill Westmoreland), Maureen (Bill Fulford) and Ronnie (Tim Ahern), Grandmother of ten - Kelly, Kathy and Tim Murray, JJ Westmoreland, Will, Jon and Pat Fulford and Dan, Brian and Megan Ahern - Great Grandmother of three - Rebecca Lusk, Tristan and Celina Rizzo-Murray - has gone.

To borrow from Henry Van Dyke -

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says "There, she is gone!" Just at that moment, there are other eyes watching her come and the other voices ready to take up the glad shout - "Here she comes!"

According to mom's wishes, she has been cremated. In the spring, we will bring her home to Seaford, Long Island to celebrate her life at a Mass in our home town and to rest in peace along with our dad at St. John's Cemetery in Middle Village.

For the past year, Mom was lovingly cared for by many at the assisted living facility Sterling House II in West Melbourne. She passed away at the William Childs Hospice House. The William Childs Staff was the most wonderful "end-of-life" team known to man. Please make any donations to them in mom's name.
William Childs Hospice House, 381 Medplex Parkway, Palm Bay, Florida 32907.