Obituary of Phillip “Phil” Clark Fischbach

     Phillip Clark Fischbach, 73, died peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family on February 11.  He was retired from the County of Sacramento, as an Environmental Program Manager for 21 years.  He also taught classes on asbestos management and abatement at the University of California, Berkeley Extension.

     Phil was born March 27, 1949, in Sterling, IL, the son of Charles and Patricia (Stanley) Fischbach.  He moved to Sacramento and met his wife, and love of his life, Cathleen Palmer in 1980.  They married on September 12, 1981, at the family cabin in El Dorado County.  They lived in El Dorado Hills for 28 years, raising their two daughters, then moved to Placerville after retirement. 

     At their home in Placerville, they spent many hours on their deck, often with their loved ones, watching deer, turkeys, birds and other local wildlife. 

     Phil had a heart of gold, and watched over all his family, especially his younger siblings and their kids. He was a mentor to family, friends, and coworkers, and enjoyed making people laugh. He supported his daughters, nephews, and nieces in their interests and endeavors, and often joined them in their adventures. Family and friends enjoyed talking with him and being in his presence. He enjoyed duck hunting, golf, quad riding, shooting guns at the family cabin, and all types of car racing.  He was passionate about his classic car, a 1968 Chevy Z28 Camaro, which he owned for 52 years.  He considered the Camaro to be his legacy for his daughters and grandkids.  His only “bucket list” item, and his dream for the last 25 years was to restore it, but he was unable to see that dream fulfilled within his lifetime.

     He loved to sing (which also included howling at the moon) and invent ridiculous dances to his favorite songs, including the “bird dog” in which his family and friends were always amazed that he never hurt himself doing those daring moves!  He also performed his singing skills in public with his nephew Terry and niece Amber, even making the cover of the Rolling Stones (created by nephew Koji).  He had the mind of an engineer and was always coming up with new ideas and better and unique ways to solve problems.  

     Following retirement, Phil and Cathleen purchased a motorhome and traveled the country from coast to coast and north to south. They also traveled to Europe, Alaska, and the Caribbean.

     Survivors include his wife; 2 daughters, Sarah Fischbach of Berkeley CA,  and Nicole Edwards of Orangevale CA;  9 siblings, Timothy (Tom Helfrich) of Dixon IL, Jeffrey (Maureen) Fischbach of Sterling IL, Peter (Jan) Fischbach of Sterling IL, Susan (Steve) Davis of Orangevale CA, Wesley (Karen) Fischbach of Roseville CA, Sally (Kirk) Keder of Como IL, Christine Smith of Brookfield IL, Karen (Sean) Conboy of Sterling IL, and Karol Guzzardo of Sterling IL; and 3 grandchildren, Eli, Aaron and Ruby.

     He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Steven.  

     A Celebration of Phil’s Life will be held March 18^th at 12:30 p.m. at the VFW Hall in Fair Oaks – 8990 Kruitof Way.  

     A GoFundMe memorial fund has been established to help fulfill his dream of the Camaro restoration.   https://www.gofundme.com/PhilFischbach

     Donations can also be made in his memory to the Audubon Society.  Honor the memory of a bird lover in your life. | National Audubon Society