The first thing most people noticed about Lydia Fish (nee Mihleisen), bides from her accent, was the twinkle in her blue eyes and “I’m up to something” grin.
In the seven years she lived in her old blue farmhouse with beautiful gardens on the hill in Saugatuck, she always was.
From fierce competitor on pickleball courts, to hiking trails with the walking group, to puttering with her beloved flowers, card-sharking loved ones at her favorite game 3-13, reading books and listening to podcasts, of sipping tea a friend on her front porch, Lydia’s days were full. She was always up for an adventure.
Lydia was born to Olga Riebler and Johann George Mihleisen in Augsburg, Germany Aug. 4, 1944, eight months before World War II ended.
She spent most of her childhood sharing her grandmother’s house with many families on an otherwise bombed-out street. There she met Ursula, her lifelong friend and partner in adventure.
They day they met, Lydia was trying out er new roller skates. Ursula didn’t have a pair, so Lydian gave her one skate and together they rolled/walked and-in-hand through streets of Augsburg streets. They were thick as thieves since then.
She was smart as a whip, but there were few opportunities in post-war Augsburg. Working as apprentice in a shoe store, she met a handsome U.S. sergeant from a nearby army base, Winfield James (Jim) fish, and her life’s trajectory changed dramatically.
Her English was only so-so and his German wasn’t any better, but they figured it out and got married. In 1963 their first son, Bob, was born.
The second act of her life took her halfway around the globe, away from everything and everyone she had ever known.
First stop was Dallas, Texas, where they lived for a while with her husband’s family, then later in in her own apartment. Lydia helped support the family with a waitressing job at the Big Boy restaurant.
When Jim finished his bachelor’s degree, they moved to Athens, Ohio, where Jim pursued his master’s degree.
After school, Jim began his career with the Ford Motor Co. That took the family to postings all around the world, from Paris, to London, to Melbourne, Australia, with stops in Michigan in between. Along the way, in 1971, her second son, John, was born.
As a family, they took every chance they could to soak up experiences, with big escapades and vacations. The skied in the Alps and marveled at the starry sky in Tunisia, ate every kind of pasta across Italy, watched bullfights in Spain, frolicked in the waters of Barbados, walked the Acropolis in Greece and drove their car through the countryside of France.
While Lydia was always a citizen of the world, she often said she felt most at home in Paris. And she could demolish a good brie or pate, particularly with the fresh heel of a baguette and glass of good red wine.
After her divorce in the early 1980s, she launched into the third act of her life with a brand-new adventure. Always a lover of water and sunshine, she moved herself to be near the sandy white beaches of Pensacola, Fla., a place where she knew no one, but she had confidence she’d figure it out.
She spent about two decades there building a life full of fun and friendship. Lydia was a passionate tennis player. She also took up ballroom dancing, which she did at least one night a week with friends, and even took up white water rafting.
Her friend Ursula visited often, and together they would take epic trips to explore different parts of the United States.
After two decades, Lydian had a desire to be nearer to family. So, for her fourth act, she moved to Saugatuck a mile and a half away from her eldest son, Bob, and his wife Michelle.
Here, she once again forged deep friendships that seemed like she had been in for a lifetime. Perhaps none deeper than Judi Thomas, who was her most constant companion, particularly during Lydia’s battle with cancer in 2021 and recovery thereafter. Making true friends was one of Lydia’s greatest gift.
The thing that gave her most joy in life, though, was being a devoted Oma to John and his wife Elizabeth’s children Sara, Jack, Tommy and David, and Bob’s son Dylan.
She was so full of giddy, childlike excitement for every visit, and spent hours of her life on the floor playing games, or in the pool splashing, or around the card table teaching them that ever though she loved them very much, she wasn’t going to just let them win. She had a knack for making them laugh and laugh.
Her family and friends are going to miss her laugh, sharp wit and distinctive take on the world, not to mention her German Potato Salad, Apple Cake and Weiner Schnitzel. They are grateful her passing at home was peaceful, and completely on her own terms.
She is preceded in death by her mother, father and stepfather Heinz Leinenbach, as well as her sister, Margaret. She is survived by her sister Petra and her children, as well as by her former husband, and both of her children, their spouses and grandchildren.
There will be a celebration of her life on Sunday, Oct. 8, from 2 to 5 p.m. at her home, 247 Grand St., Saugatuck. Remarks will be made at 3 p.m.
In lieu f flowers, Lydia requested a donation to Christian Neighbors of Douglas, an organization she much admired for the services they provide to the community through their food pantry: P.O. Box 43, Douglas, Mi 40406 on online at http://www.christiannieghborsdouglas.org/donatee.html.