Karen Elizabeth Fisher

Karen Elizabeth Fisher was born on April 3, 1939, in Colusa, California, daughter of Anson H Crutcher, Sr and Cecilia Reine (Richter) Crutcher. She died peacefully on July 22, 2022 in West Seattle, Washington with her daughter Tracy by her side.

At a time when few women were encouraged to go into the sciences, my mom graduated at the top of her class in pharmacy school at University of the Pacific. Never one to do things by halves, she also completed three exams for the state pharmacy board of California, Oregon and Nevada, driving on her own to each state on successive weekends, all while 7-8 months pregnant with me! She finished first in 2 states, and second in one.

During her twenties and thirties, she and I lived in San Francisco, and later Fairfax, Marin County, where mom worked as a pharmacist at Ralph K. Davies (now California Pacific Medical Center).

Taking a few years off, mom hung up her white pharmacy coat and put on a leotard when she started the first aerobics fitness business in the SF Bay Area. Renting out space at school gyms, church halls and community parks, she conducted daily, 2-4 hour-long aerobic classes to the tunes of the times, DISCO! I fondly remember coming home from high school to find mom busy working on her aerobics routines to songs like Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive, or Chic’s Le Freak.

Her love of skiing, hiking and the outdoors, inspired her to move to Ketchum, Idaho where she spent a couple of years as a self-described “ski bum”. After fulfilling this dream she became restless and opened up her own business, Karen’s Family Pharmacy and Home Health in Hailey, Idaho. She was also an active member of the community and the Hailey Rotary Club where she enjoyed the camaraderie as well as their mission.

My mom was always up for an adventure. From hiking in Nepal, to rafting down the Grand Canyon, kayaking off the coast of South America, canyoneering in Utah, and mushing her own dog team in Alaska, to name but a few, she packed a lot in. Her trail partners recall, “Karen could tackle any wilderness challenge or hardship with no complaints, including rain, snow and grizzly bears, as long as she had her coffee in the morning and a shot of brandy at night!”

Following the sale of her pharmacy, retirement didn’t mean slowing down. Instead, she bought and restored an old Victorian house in Virginia City, Montana. She opened the Gingerbread House for business as a Bed and Breakfast and lived there during the summer months, hosting people from all over the world. Off season, my mom loved to take trips in her RV with her Siamese cats Tinc and Toy.

Karen also loved music, dancing, reading, and keeping up to date with the latest in science, politics, and local and world events. She was a keen supporter of women’s rights and the American Civil Liberties Union. She loved a good conversation, and anyone who met her, or was lucky enough to sit near her in a restaurant, knows she had the most wonderful contagious laugh.

Karen is survived by her daughter Tracy Fisher (Ingrid Cuthbert), her brother Anson H Crutcher Jr. (Lillian Crutcher), her niece Reine Broome (Dave Broome) and children Stella and Sydney, and her nephew Joshua Crutcher (Helen Kenworthy).

To share your condolences and memories of Karen with her Family and Friends, please visit her Tribute Wall, located above.

- Care & Arrangements Entrust to Emmick Family Funeral Home of West Seattle -

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