William Douglas Fisher

William Douglas “Bill” Fisher was born August 27, 1947, in Dallas, TX, to Clifford Eugene Fisher of Des Moines, IA, and Annie Mae Fite Fisher of Ringgold, TX and passed away September 4, 2026. Bill spent his early years in the small West Texas town of Crosbyton, where his father practiced dentistry. It was there and at his Mamaw’s home in tiny Ringgold, TX, that he came to appreciate farming and ranching life. 

Bill’s family moved to Lubbock, and Bill attended Maedgen Elementary, became a standout quarterback at Atkins and at Evans Jr. High, and graduated from Monterey High School in 1966. He studied psychology and business at Texas Tech University while working full time to support his wife and son, Boyd. 

Bill moved to Houston, working full time while attending night classes at South Texas College of Law. After law school, Bill clerked for U.S. Fifth Circuit Appeals Court Chief Justice John Robert Brown, remarried, and raised his daughter, Katharine. He was a successful oil and gas attorney and worked on the defense team of what was at that time the largest civil lawsuit ever tried. He retired early as a petrochemical pipeline executive and moved to Fort Worth. 

Bill had been given flying lessons as a young boy, becoming a competent pilot well before he was legally able to drive. His great passions were Tech football, small plane and sailplane aviation, and sports car racing, especially vintage foreign sports cars. 

In Fort Worth, Bill married Cynthia West McElrath and spent the last 11 years of his life sharing with her the hobbies that were so important to him and the civic and social events that were meaningful to her. Bill and Cynthia loved spending time with each other and traveling. 

He is preceded in death by his parents and by his brother-in-law, James V. Hoeffner. 

Bill is survived by wife Cynthia West Fisher; son, Boyd Wyatt “Bo” and daughter-in-law, Jean Fisher, of Pasadena, TX; daughter, Katharine Denning Fisher Fife and son-in-law, John Fife, of Dallas along with grandchildren, Wyatt and Rosie Fife; stepdaughter, Jennifer McElrath West and son-in-law, Patrick West, of Fort Worth along with grandchildren, Max Palko (Amanda) and Cricket West; stepdaughter, Mary Helen Cornelius and son-in-law, Brian Cornelius, of Fort Worth, along with granddaughter, Caroline Cornelius; and by his younger siblings, Mark Kendall Fisher of Charlotte, NC, and Suzanne Fisher Hoeffner of Austin, TX. 

A Memorial Service honoring Bill’s life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, 2026 at First United Methodist Church of Fort Worth, 500 W. 5th Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76102.

Memorials: Should friends desire, memorials may be given to Hamilton Soaring Club www.hamiltonsoaringclub.org