Robert (Bob) Fischer of West Tisbury died on Oct. 14 after a seven-year journey with Alzheimer’s disease. He was fortunate to have spent those years in his own home, surrounded by majestic oaks and evergreens, with birdsong wafting through the air and wildlife tapping on his window each morning. He was 80.

He was born in Mineola, N.Y. on Nov. 20, 1942. He attended the State University of New York at Farmingdale, where he studied civil engineering. He continued his education on the G.I. Bill after three years of active duty in the U.S. Army, where he worked in the topographic engineering division.

He worked in the petrochemical industry and went on to environmental design, piping design for the food industry and project management in both residential and commercial construction. Engineering was what he did — but if you asked him who he was, his answer would have been, “fisherman.”

Bob immersed himself in the art of surf casting and he spent many hours studying the habitat and intelligence of striped bass. When he lived in New York, he spent every weekend on the beaches of Southampton, following the tides and tracking the birds.

On one of those trips he took a short detour and met a girl named Maureen. Their first six dates encompassed all things fish, including a three-hour date in a rowboat in the rain. He proposed after date number six and the city girl musician said “yes” to the country guy fisherman. They married and lived happily ever after with their two daughters who, of course, are skilled in the art of surf casting. They learned this from having spent precious hours camping on the beach with their Dad.

Bob knew himself well. He fished for the smell of the sea, the roar of the ocean and the thrill of the catch — and the release. He shared the love with his girls and they carry it with them. Bob knew what Henry David Thoreau meant when he wrote, “many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”

Bob is survived by Maureen, his wife of 55 years; his daughters Colette Kurelja and Kristen Cimaglia; and his grandchildren, Lilly, Owen and Ana.

A memorial Mass will be celebrated at Saint Elizabeth’s Church in Edgartown on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m..

Special thanks to Hospice and Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard, and to the friends, neighbors and strangers who gave compassionate assistance to Bob’s family during this time.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice and Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 1748, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.