MaryLou Fisher went to be with her Lord Jesus on March 21, 2019. She died peacefully at home surrounded by generations of loving family, and joyfully anticipating heaven.
Born in Chicago on Feb. 3, 1934, MaryLou was the eldest of three children of German immigrants Benno and Mary Luebbing. She met the love of her life, Clyde, at a school dance when she was 14 and eloped with him at age 17 (although she told the sheriff who married them that she was 18). They recently celebrated their 68th anniversary.
Together they traveled the world with a military career that spanned 21 years, spending nine of those years in Germany and ending with an assignment at the Pentagon. God then led them to Edwardsville, Illinois, where MaryLou received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Southern Illinois University.
In the early 1990s they purchased a home on Front Street in Lynden where they joined Christ the King Church and later were instrumental in starting North County Christ the King in Lynden. At NCCTK they taught finance and marriage classes and worked together in God’s Garden. In retirement they traveled the world on mission trips, often with children and grandchildren.
MaryLou was a talented artist, passionate about her faith, and she loved her family. She was Mom to four children and Oma to 15 grandchildren and dozens of great-grandchildren, foster great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.
Together they wrote the story of their lives entitled “Forever, A Love Story” (available at the Lynden Library). Their marriage was a model of the Biblical “three-strand cord” as every decision was prayerfully made in faith that God would lead. MaryLou was the wind beneath Clyde’s wings and the one who always made him look good.
She is best known for being a Prayer Warrior. God truly spoke through her with a word of encouragement, a hug, a prayer and a smile for everyone she encountered — stranger, friend and family alike. She didn’t just say she would pray for you; she took your hand and prayed with you. Her home was a testament to her faith, a refuge for anyone in need of a place to stay. MaryLou truly believed the promise of Jesus, “Lo, I am with you always.” And now she is hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
A celebration of MaryLou’s life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 30, in North County Christ the King Church. As a memorial we suggest a donation to one of her favorite charities: Seeds of Righteousness, www.sormission.org; or Wycliffe Bible Translators, www.wycliffe.org; or Whatcom County Pregnancy Center, www.whatcomclinic.com.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Gillies Funeral Home and Cremation Services.
