Melvin Elwood Fischer was born on August 15, 1935, to Fritz and Hattie Fischer in Greens Creek, Texas. He joined his older sister Ruby Mae. As a youngster he fished and hunted on his grandparent's farm. As an adult, during trips to see his family in Giddings, he would continue to visit the farm to do a little fishing and hunting. During his teenage years the family moved into nearby Giddings, Texas.Melvin married in 1955, joined the army shortly thereafter. After his tour, he and his wife moved to the Houston Heights. He joined the fire department as a fire fighter and a year later welcomed their daughter Becky and four years later their second daughter Donna. In 1964 while out on a fire alarm call the pumper he was riding in was in was hit by a car, throwing him out of the vehicle and causing catastrophic injuries. After several months in the hospital, the next year and half were spent in traction at home, a wheelchair and attending numerous physical therapy appointments. He told a story years later that he owed his life to the captain on duty that night. After the medics assessed some of his injuries, his captain had to make the decision whether to send him to nearby Heights Hospital or across town to a hospital in the medical center. The captain chose the medical center and Mel said that was probably what saved his life. Heights Hospital was smaller and not equipped to handle his type of injuries, but his prognosis was not good and he was told he would probably never be able to walk again. Whether it was his stubbornness, German hard headedness or the desire to get back to his hunting and fishing, within a year he was back on his feet. He returned to work at the fire department as a recruiter and eventually went back to active duty at the station house. About 4 years after the accident, a son named Timothy Mel was born. Hunting and fishing were such a big part of his life. For many years he hunted in the Texas Hill Country on several leases with family and friends. He was in his element at the lease, no matter how rustic they were. As long as he had a stove to cook on and a fire going outside, he was content. Even though he held a great love for the hill country, he also enjoyed the Texas coast, spending many summers with family and friends in Port Aransas. Every trip involved bay fishing. In later years, he and his wife Judy enjoyed spending some time in Galveston. During these years he also made time to be involved in church and school activities. He was a longtime member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Houston. He taught Sunday school, was a youth group sponsor, served as an elder, drove the school bus for the girls softball team and was a member of the day school's PTO. He also coached the fire departments women's softball team, was a member of the Northwest Lutheran bowling league and was heavily involved with Tim's baseball and football leagues.
In 1980 he married Judy Hein and a couple of years later they moved to Magnolia. In his new home he was able to have a little bit of the country. The property had a nice pond and he promptly built a pier and stocked it with catfish and bass. He fed the fish from the pier each evening and enjoyed watching this large school of fish coming to the surface for dinner. Most of the family threw a line into that pond at some point. Over the years he built his own man cave that included a place to cook and a place for a firepit. He also had a deer feeder in the backyard and deer made a regular stop there each day. During the colder weather there was a fire going and if you didn't know better you would think you were at the deer lease. After retiring from the fire department, he stayed busy doing small construction jobs. He was constantly in motion, except when UT had a football game on tv, doing numerous projects at the house. He took great pride in his lawn and in his yearly Christmas decorations – still climbing a ladder to put lights on the house well into his 80's. He was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Tomball and was also involved with his neighborhood HOA and with several veteran organizations in the area.
He is survived by his wife Judy Fischer, daughter Rebecca Kriegel and husband Gary, daughter Donna Blowey and husband Tillman, son Tim Fischer and wife, Christie, grandchildren Bryson Blowey and wife, Jamison, Joshua Blowey and wife, Kandace, Lauren Kriegel, Nicole Garza and husband Stephen, Dr. Tara Fischer and husband, Joseph Macaluso, Coleman Kriegel, Christopher Fischer and Luke Fischer, numerous great-grandchildren, brother-in-law Fil Hein, numerous nieces and nephews.