Carol Plaine Fisher, 94, Died; Westport Rotarian, Temple Israel Member
Carol Plaine Fisher, a beloved daughter, sister, stepmother, aunt, mother-in-law, grandmother, and great-grandmother died in her home in Westport, Connecticut on June 26, 2022 at the age of 94 after having successfully fought Parkinson's Disease for a decade.
Born in New York City to Alfred and Bertha Plaine on April 14, 1928, she graduated from Queens College at age 19. She worked at Little Golden Books and for a movie magazine before taking a job as acquisitions editor at Pyramid Books. At Pyramid, she developed and edited a book by Peter Max and as well as health-focused cookbooks and short biographies of 30s and 40s movie stars. Pyramid Books became, as a result of her efforts, the US publisher of bestselling author Barbara Cartland. Carol also worked as an editor at Harcourt Brace.
Her life changed in 1978, when she married longtime Westport resident Milton Fisher, an attorney, investment banker, author, and teacher of the popular "Applied Creativity" class in Staples Adult Education. She moved to Westport and together they founded Wildcat Publishing Company, where Carol brought her editorial skills and experience to bear on the publication of books including the Holocaust memoir Dry Tears, by Nehama Tec, a resistance classic which served as the basis for the film, Defiance; Who Owns What's in Your Head? by Stan Lieberstein; the novel, The Kid from Naphtali by Eytan Halaban; The Fall of Japan by William Craig; and the murder mystery, Murder Most Puzzling by Lillian Robinson.
Carol Fisher was a devoted participant in and organizer of stimulating programs at the Westport Senior Center, the Westport- Weston Arts Council, and the Westport Library. The Westport Senior Center recognized her outstanding efforts to enliven and improve the lives of seniors in Westport by giving her the "Service to Seniors Award" in February 2013.
As Executive Director of the Renee B. Fisher Foundation, Carol Fisher was instrumental in creating and sustaining initiatives including Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation and Creativity (run by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven); the annual Renee B. Fisher Piano Competition (run by the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven); and the "Books for Teachers" Program that has built thousands of classroom libraries in under-resourced schools in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Washington (The Pequot Library in Southport, CT, where the Program began, remains the "Books for Teachers" flagship program). A great reader throughout her life, Carol Fisher was an enthusiastic member of several book clubs and a movie discussion club, and was also an avid bridge player.
She was a member of the Westport Rotary Club and a longtime member of Temple Israel. Her family was always a sustaining pleasure. She loved hosting joyful multi-generational family gatherings on Thanksgiving and Passover at her home every year, as well as month-long family reunions during summers. The last gathering she hosted coincided with her 94th birthday this year.
In addition to being the cherished wife of the late Milton Fisher, Carol Plaine Fisher was the beloved aunt of Moss Plaine, sister of the late Leonard Plaine, and sister-in-law of Gillis Plaine--all of New York; and the beloved stepmother of Shelley Fisher Fishkin, mother-in-law of James S. Fishkin, grandmother of Joseph Fishkin and Robert Fishkin (and their partners, Cary Franklin and Maya Belitski), and great- grandmother of Anna Ardith Fishkin Franklin and Simon Asher ("Sasha") Fishkin Franklin--all of California. She will also be missed by other family members including Paige and Lee Barr, David Fishkin, Jill Feinberg, Stephanie Fishkin and Rebecca Fishkin of Maryland.
A private virtual memorial service is being planned for late summer. If you are interested in attending, please email Shelley Fisher Fishkin at sfishkin@stanford.edu. Contributions in Carol's memory may be sent to the Anti-Defamation League.