Fisher
A former Bartholomew County coroner who served in public office for several decades has died.
Larry S. Fisher, 73, died on Jan. 4 at a health care facility in Sebring, Florida. Although a cause of death has not been released, friends say Fisher had been struggling with health problems for a number of years. Fisher had served as a county councilman, county coroner, law enforcement officer, business owner and funeral home employee.
When he was in high school, Fisher began working part-time at what is now Sawyer Pickett Funeral & Cremation Services in North Vernon. It was a job he would return to on-and-off for the rest of his life. The funeral arrangements for Fisher are currently pending with Sawyer-Pickett.
He also served as a reserve deputy for the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department for 37 years.
Fisher is remembered for alternating the elected position of Bartholomew County Coroner with his wife for several years. Fisher was coroner from 1985 to 1993. His wife held the same position from 1993 to 2001, but voters placed Larry back in as coroner in 2001. The spouses would serve as each other’s deputy coroners if they were not serving in the elected position.
In 2008, Fisher was elected as an at-large member of the Bartholomew County Council. However, he stayed for only one four-year term before running for coroner again in 2012 and winning the position without any opposition.
The long-time owner of Fisher’s Flower Basket on Gladstone Avenue was also named chairman of the Columbus Emergency Ambulance Services Board in 2012. In addition, he also served several years on the Bartholomew County Republican Central Committee.
Former GOP county chairwoman Barb Hackman says she and her husband got together frequently with the Fishers for both social and political purposes “for as long as I can remember.”
Hackman, who now serves as Bartholomew County treasurer, remembers Fisher as an excellent conversationalist. After attending a Bible study with him, Hackman discovered Fisher was also, in her words, a faithful servant of God.
“He will be so missed,’ Hackman said. “It’s hard to think about not having Larry around. He was so interesting and unique, with the ability to do so many different things.”
Fisher will be best remembered for the 20 years he served in various leadership roles with the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair. Since the 1950s, most members of Fisher’s family have been active in 4-H. He served as board president from 2007 to 2016.
As fair board president, Fisher has been credited in many circles with keeping the organization financially healthy while initiating significant improvements at the fairgrounds. Beside new cattle stalls, other improvements included new track fencing and the installment of a camping area for 4-H exhibitors.
“He helped me a lot when I first came onto the board to figure out all that I needed to do,” said current 4-H leader Becky Speaker. “He was fun, but also willing to show leadership and make the decisions. I think we all are going to miss Larry and his big personality.”
In 2016, his friends and neighbors received the opportunity to show their appreciation to Fisher when he received the Rural Service Award for his many years of services to Bartholomew County residents.
Fisher also faced a number of challenges in those leadership roles.
In a 2018 interview, Fisher said the worst day of his life came in July 1999, when a vehicle went out of control and crashed into the 4-H grandstands. Of the three girls in their early teens that were hit, one died and the other two were seriously injured.
Fisher also was one of the defendants named in a long-running federal lawsuit regarding the death of Cary Owsley, who died from a gunshot wound in April 2013 in Columbus. The defendants in the civil case were either current or former Bartholomew County law enforcement officials, including Fisher who as coroner had ruled Owsley’s death a suicide.
Fisher’s ruling was disputed by the Owsley family, who alleged in the lawsuit that the officials named in the lawsuit through destruction of evidence and other actions, covered up Owsley’s murder, according to court records. The appeal of an earlier dismissal of the Owsley case was denied in federal court last year.
