Barber Jean Fisher, was born July 30, 1932 in Tampa, Florida to Richard & Fannie (Barber) Fisher. Jean had an older brother, Carl, and a younger brother, Ben. As a teenager, Jean’s strong commitment to Jesus as her Savior and Lord led her to Bob Jones University where she got her Bachelor’s Degree in Home Economics, and where she met Donald Schultz. They were married September 3, 1954, appointed by United World Mission and sailed for Paris for language study January 1955.
In February 1956 they sailed to West Africa and made their way 600 miles inland by rail and dirt road to Kenieba, Mali where they served for the next 27 years. As pioneer missionaries they lived in a mud hut with a thatch roof for 18 months while Don built a cement block, sheet metal roofed house. Larry was born in 1957 in the unfinished house. The twins, Rick and Debby, were born 14 months later in Tampa on their first home-assignment.
The mission station eventually housed 18 missionaries, and Don oversaw the construction of 5 houses, a church, a Bible school, an orphanage, a dispensary and an agricultural project. Jean supported all his efforts in various ways as well as home schooling the 3 children, learning both French and Bambara, and teaching Bible classes to African women and children. When they left the field in 1983, Kenieba had a national church, a literacy program, a Bible school, an orphanage and an extensive dispensary program reaching 30,000 people a year, and sixteen young men who had completed Bible studies and were ordained.
After returning to the States in 1983, Jean earned her Master’s Degree while teaching in the Tampa public high school system. Her income from teaching allowed them to pay off their home in 10 years and subsidize their retirement income. Again she supported Don’s ministry in various ways after he accepted the call to pastor Lewis Memorial Church in October 1986, guiding the congregation through several transitions before retiring in January 1999.
Jean dearly loved her family: her husband Donald, their children Lawrence (Candace), Richard (Cathryn) and Debra Thomas; their grandchildren Allison (Joshua), Shawn, Sarah (Charles), Ryan, Justin, Anna (Matthew) and Amy (David); and their great-grandchildren Evangeline, Serena, Jubilee, Moriah, Lily, Corbin, Thomas, and Elizabeth; and Jean’s older brother Carl Fisher. She is survived by her brother Benjamin Fisher.
She was welcomed to heaven by her loving Savior, Who most assuredly said,
“Welcome home my good and faithful servant.”
A memorial service to celebrate Jean’s life will be held
Saturday, Nov 23 at 4PM EST at Christ Church Lutz CPC,
located at 19501 Holly Lane, Lutz, FL.