Bob Fisher protected presidents, governors and celebrities. He double dated Hillary Rodham, later protected her husband, guarded Muhammed Ali and even played a role in the indictment of former governor George Ryan.
He was also a devoted family man, youth leader and coach.
Fisher died on October 16 at the age of 76. His 53-year-old wife, Linda Fisher, said he had a number of medical problems and decided to go to hospice.
“He wanted quality (of life), not quantity,” she said.
Judging by his accumulated experience, Fisher has achieved this goal.
As a student at Maine East High School in Park Ridge, he didn’t date future Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham while they double dated together. Later, when assigned to protect President Bill Clinton, the president was eager to “get all the stories about Hillary,” Linda Fisher said.
Bob Fisher began his career as a police officer in Des Plaines before joining the Illinois State Police in 1968 for 20 years. During his time as a state trooper, he served as bodyguards to Governors Richard Ogilvie, Dan Walker and James Thompson and Jim Edgar.
He was also assigned to Watch Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush when they visited Illinois.
Linda Fisher attributed her husband’s success as a bodyguard to his endearing personality. He was often given delicate duties, such as guarding the governors’ children.
“He doesn’t play politics. And he’s very honest. And he’s very closed off,” she said.
Once he was assigned to protect Ogilvie’s daughter while she was on a date.
“So one night they parked and he had to park behind them,” Linda Fisher said. “He was probably only 24 to 25 years old. So he still understood what dating is all about.”
Thompson liked him so much that he invited Bob and Linda’s son Michael to the governor’s house in Chicago to play with Thompson’s daughter Samantha.
“They all loved Bob,” Linda Fisher said.
Other famous people Fisher guarded included Henry Kissinger, Golda Meir, Bob Hope, and Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley.
While on assignment with Hope, Fisher received a radio call that Linda had been taken to the emergency room. He stayed by Hope’s side.
“Bob Hope sent me the most beautiful red roses,” Linda said.
Despite the demands of his job—long hours and frequent travel—Fisher maintained a balance between life and work. A member of the Edison Park Lutheran Church in the Edison Park neighborhood of Chicago, he served as a deacon, baseball coach, and high school youth director.
After retiring from the state police force, Fisher taught law enforcement courses at Triton College in River Grove from 1998 to 2001.
Later in life, he also worked as an investigator for the Illinois Department of State, where he played a role in investigating the fatal crash that killed six members of the Willis family in 1994. The investigation contributed to George’s indictment by Ryan on corruption charges.
The visit is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. at Edison Park Lutheran Church, 6626 N. Oliphant Ave., Chicago. Burial will be private at All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines.
For funeral information, call (847) 255-7800.
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