Charlean Eanes Fisher Obituary (1934 - 2018)

Born Jun 23, 1934, Charlean Eanes Fisher attended William Byrd High School in Vinton, VA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Charlean Eanes Fisher.

Graduation Year	Class of 1953
Date of Birth	Jun 23, 1934
Date of Passing	May 17, 2018
About	Charlean Eanes Fisher died peacefully surrounded by her family on Thursday, May 17, 2018. She was born June 23, 1934 to Thelma Fulcher Eanes and Charles Eanes of Vinton. Her greatest joy was being a mom. She loved her children with all her heart and told them so often. She was devoted to her husband, Thomas Curry Fisher Jr. (Bud), of 45 years whom she loved dearly and missed terribly after he passed in 2006. Her favorite family moments were summer vacations at Virginia Beach with her husband and three children and as the family grew, with her grandchildren and sons-in-law. They were magical times of sand and surf, family dinners and sunsets on the Back Bay. Charlean loved everyone she met. She made others feel welcomed, loved and important with her gracious, kind and generous personality. Charlean was blessed with a glorious, rich voice and believed that because of that blessing, came an obligation to share it. She was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church Choir from 1951 to 2013 except for the seven years she lived in Bluefield, WV with her young family where she sang with the Christ Episcopal Church Choir. At St. John’s she was a licensed Lay Reader and Chalicist, served on the Altar Guild and played handbells. She played the piano at the Methodist Home in Roanoke for the Holy Eucharist. She was a former member of the Celebration Arts Committee and co-chaired the Music Committee. She was First Vice-President of Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, an international teaching society and a member of the Thursday Morning Music Club. Charlean was a brilliant musician and performer who spent her life singing in her community and beyond. She was a chorus member of The Common Glory in Williamsburg, VA in 1956 at which time she also became soprano section leader and soloist at Bruton Parish Episcopal Church. She was a chorus member of Thy Kingdom Come, an outdoor drama in Salem, VA during the summer of 1957. She gave a benefit concert in 1972 for the Neurologically Impaired Pre-School Scholarship Fund. Charlean sang leading roles with Southwest Virginia Opera Society ( now Opera Roanoke). She was the soprano soloist with Roanoke Symphony on two occasions, including the Roanoke Centennial Celebration. She gave an inaugural concert at The Tennessee Williams Performing Arts Center in Key West, FL in 1980. She sang a leading role in H.M.S. Pinafore at Radford University in 1983. She was a soloist with the Vinton Choral Society, Gloucester Choral Society and Piedmont Symphony Orchestra. Charlean was also an amazing and gifted teacher who taught her students the joy that music can bring to their lives. She was a teacher in auditory training, music, math and reading at the Shedd School for Learning Disabilities. She was a part-time music teacher at Northside Junior High School, and a choral director at Hidden Valley Junior High School. But it was her work as a choral director at William Fleming High School that defined who she was as an educator. She took a program that had only 12 students when she started and built a vocal program of state/national merit that included four choirs with 130 members. One of her choirs was awarded silver and bronze trophies in national competition in New York City. For her work as a choral director, she received The Virginia Alliance for Arts Education Distinguished Service Award. Charlean was a 1953 graduate of William Byrd High School, a 1957 graduate of Hollins College with a major in voice and a minor in piano. She did graduate work at Amherst College in voice training with the faculty of Julliard. She received her special education certification from University of Virginia and Radford University. She is the loving mother of her three children: Elizabeth Curry Fisher-Smith and her husband Leigh of Cincinnati, OH; Kathryn Taylor Rubbins and her husband Mark of Melrose, MA; and Thomas Curry Fisher III, of Roanoke. She is also survived by five grandsons whom she adored, Christian and Hugh Smith and Jordan, Hudson and Potomac Rubbins. She was always proud that music is very much a part of her children and grandchildren’s lives. We invite everyone to attend her celebration of life memorial service on Tuesday, June 19, 2018 at 11 am at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Roanoke, located at 1 Mountain Ave. A luncheon will follow in the Parish Hall. Donations in Charlean’s memory can be made to St. John’s Episcopal Church Outreach, at www.stjohnsroanoke.org or Hollins University Fund at www.Hollins.edu/giveonline . Arrangements by Oakey’s Roanoke Chapel (540-982-2100). Online condolences may be expressed at www.oakeys.com .