Irvin Kenneth Fifer

Irvin K Fifer If you were to think back on Irvin Fifer's life you would start thinking of the movie: It's a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart. The character George Bailey from the movie goes through some hardships and doesn't think his life made a difference. Just when George needs the people he befriends in life, he finds that that number is much larger than even he imagines. Such was Irv's life. He was born in the "Great Depression" and growing up in a time when you had very little. It seemed to make him appreciate the things he had and give him the determination to go out and get the things he wanted. That was what motivated him to prove people wrong when they told him it couldn't be done. When old enough, he volunteered for the war effort in World War II. He took his then Fiancé (Betty Barnes) to Texas where he was sent for basic training. They were married, and Irvin was sent to Europe to help the war effort in Germany. He was a member of the Ozarks and received several merit citations. After the war, Irvin came home to start a family with Betty which included sons James and Randy and daughters Sherry and Jill. He enjoyed working with his hands. He and friends built his home where it still stands today. He installed one of the first in ground pools in the area with the help of friends and relatives. During this time he had worked at several jobs. He and Betty started a farmers market at the corner of Hill and Reynolds Rd. That lasted several years until the property was sold. He would work the market in the summer and work for Gulf Oil delivering fuel oil to homes in winter. After closing the market, he was searching for something to do, he was introduced to "huckstering" in which a person would get a truck of some kind and pick up fruit, vegetables and flowers at a wholesale market and drive throughout neighborhoods selling their goods curbside to retail customers. He would alternate these winter/summer jobs for many years. In his later years, he started his own small contracting company with many word of mouth referrals that kept him busy. In 1961 his wife of 15 years Betty died suddenly. It wasn't easy to raise 4 kids and work full-time, but with support and help from family, he made it work. He met his current wife of 48 years Mary Louise Adams at a social mixer. She had previously been married and had 3 children of her own Remy, Joe and Debra. They were married on February 8, 1964. They folded their families together and made it work. Irv always had time for his kids. He was active in little league coaching. His teams won multiple league titles and once won the county championship. Later when the kids were in high school he was always seen in the stands supporting their activities. The kids started having kids then their kids started having kids all together Irv had 7 children, 17 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. The story of this wonderful life continued when in his 60"s Irvin took up golf to fill his retirement years. He instantly became hooked on the game and even had a "Hole-in-One". The drive in his life to constantly look forward and never back made him a formidable competitor who didn't like to lose. In his 80"s he joined the White Pines Golf Course where he met and played with many people. His sense of humor was welcomed by everyone. When he went to play, everyone knew who Irv Fifer was. He was the inaugural club champion in the senior division. He was a big supporter of the Patriot Golf Outing having once won it and donating the first place prize money back. He played fast-pitch soft ball with his sons into his late 50's. Like George Bailey, certain events made him realize his life did have meaning. Irv's meaning came to him in several ways. First and foremost, he was proud to become one of the first groups to fly to Washington from this area under the Honor Flight program. When he heard of the memorial being built it was one of the things on his wish list of things to see. He thought he wasn't going to see it but Honor Flight made it possible. Secondly, on his 90th birthday his children organized a surprise party at White Pines Golf course. The response from his friends and family overwhelmed him. He had no idea of the amount of lives he touched and the friends he had. The event was videotaped and he would watch it frequently and tear up at the amount of people and love that was shown. When he was asked about the event, he would get emotional and say "that was the best night of my life." The family will receive friends at the Bersticker-Scott Funeral Home 3453 Heatherdowns Blvd at Byrne Rd on Friday December 14 2-9 P.M. where services will be held Saturday December 15, 2012 at 11:00 A.M. Inurnment will take place at a later date in Arlington Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to Honor Flight of Northwest Ohio or Hospice of Northwest Ohio. Please view and sign Irvin's condolence book at berstickerscottfuneralhome.com

Visitation Details

Friday, December 14th, 2012 2:00pm - 9:00pm, Bersticker-Scott Funeral Home

Service Information

Saturday, December 15th, 2012 11:00am, Bersticker-Scott Funeral Home

Interment Details