Laurier mourns the passing of Helmuth Fischer

Oct. 23, 2020

The Wilfrid Laurier University community mourns the passing of Helmuth Fischer, who was an instructor in the Department of Languages and Literatures.

Fischer taught German for more than 25 years at Laurier, as well as at the University of Waterloo and University of Guelph. He is remembered as a gentle and humble man who faced the challenges of life with resilience and went above and beyond to help his colleagues, peers and students.

“He left a strong presence in my mind and my heart,” says Alexandra Zimmerman, a Laurier German language instructor. “If I were to describe him in one word, I would say he was a gentleman. He was calm, gentle and modest and had this incredible sense of humour.”

Fischer was born in Graz, Austria and earned a philosophy degree from Laurier, when it was known as Waterloo Lutheran University, and a master’s degree in German Literature at the University of Waterloo. Before coming to Laurier, he started his career as a professional German-English translator and founded AMS Translations in 1977 with his life partner Anne-Marie Souan.

“We were the best of colleagues,” says Zimmerman. “He was very supportive and helped me revise countless of documents in German, including one of my plays.”

Fischer leaves behind his companion of forty-four years, Anne-Marie, sons Malcolm and Hugo Fischer and daughter Maricia Fischer-Souan. He will be missed by his extended family, friends and colleagues.

Those who wish to share their sympathies may do so through the Erb and Good Funeral Home and can make a donation in memory of Helmuth to the Aplastic Anemia and Myelodysplasia Association of Canada.