Dear KUUF community,
It is with great sorrow that we share the passing of beloved KUUF member Sterling Fisher. Sterling made his transition November 24, 221 in the morning while at home with his family. He had been struggling with health complications for several months and just recently began to decline. He celebrated his 96th birthday in October and many of his friends at our fellowship got a chance to visit with him around that time. Sterling will be remembered for his masterful use of tech, well into his 90s, and for all of the photos and videos he took of KUUF services and events. Sterling’s family sends their love and gratitude to the KUUF community. Let us hold Evan and all of Sterling’s family in our hearts in the days ahead, particularly during this holiday season.
Joey Witherspoon, KUUF Office Assistant interviewed KUUF’s four nonagenarians (people who are between 90-99 years old).
What brought you to KUUF?
Sterling: Well, Aside from my car- I guess probably the best answer is that it’s the only church in which I could be completely honest in talking with people.
So it wasn’t like you have to hold anything back and even if your opinion is different it isn’t shunned.
Sterling: Yeah. My religious beliefs well, they gradually turned more and more to the view that there is no god looking out for our best interests and we’re on our own for better or worse and I really appreciate a church in which I can say that without seeing shocked and horrified expressions and people trying to talk me out of it.
Do you have a favorite memory of your life?
Sterling: I guess I might not have a favorite memory. Let me know if this sounds too much like a copout- overall I’ve lived a happy life. So there’s no one memory that stands out. Basically I can think of many happy memories but not one that really stands out.
Why do you think you’ve lived to this age?
Sterling: I think I’ve lived to this age- I think my ancestors on both sides were pretty healthy. I think good luck has a lot to do with it too. I guess it’s like a lot of people this way there are bad things in your life and if it got really bad that could have been the end of it but I’ve been fortunate.
What did you do for a career?
Sterling: I was an electronic engineer, specializing more in communications applications. I did that for a lot of my career. It followed from even when I was a young boy. I was interested in radio. I would tune into stations far away on the radio. Eventually, I got a Ham Radio license which I still have today. After I retired I was fortunate to get a job in the astronomy department at the University of Washington. I was working on side projects that the head of the department was interested in having worked on but didn’t have much of a budget for. So that was a lot of fun. After that, I got official authorization to be a substitute teacher in the local school system. I really looked forward to doing that because I was pretty good at tutoring math and science too to high school kids. But once I was an officially authorized substitute teacher I found that they put me frequently in classes where the teacher had been having a terrible time maintaining discipline where there were just wild kids there. I could keep the discipline but did I actually teach anything – no. I got my pay but I wasn’t desperate for it so that after a while, just out of disappointment in I was actually assigned to, I stopped doing it.
What are now or have been some of your best talents or achievements?
Sterling: Fortunately during my career as an electronic engineer, I was very good at that. So I got a lot of satisfaction from it and I was adequately paid. As I say I was fortunate it worked out that way. I think my favorite of the talents in two different ones, is being able to be empathic, so I tend to be very aware of the impact that people have on other people. One of my favorite conditions is that I feel so fortunate that I still have my mind at my age. I can’t tell you how fortunate I feel.
What is the most surprising change in our countries history that has occurred in your lifetime?
Sterling: Oh that is too easy. It’s the election of Trump and that’s in my whole lifetime.
What events or projects at KUUF do you like to take part in?
Sterling: I really enjoy taking part in the Social Justice Committee Meetings and events. During most of my life I’ve done very little that you can look at as social justice-related activities. I was very busy with my career and my family and that’s where all my efforts went, but now I have the time. I really enjoy trying to “Make a difference in the world.”
Who or what has had the biggest impact on your life?
Sterling: I’ve been fortunate that the early and continuing interest I had in electronics has led to a satisfying career and gave me enough income that basically the financial worries I had were small so I feel very fortunate about that.
What one piece of knowledge would you consider indispensable?
Sterling: I think one of the things that’s been most useful to me is the zen approach to life and the world.
What do you mean by the zen approach?
Sterling: It’s that I do better if I don’t try to control the future. I can’t help but have strong feelings about