Fish, Capt. Dennis J.

Capt. Dennis J. Fish (U.S. Navy retired), 77, passed away at his home in Aiken, S.C., on Feb. 27, 2013, after a short illness. The cause of death was cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer).

Capt. Fish was born Jan. 24, 1936, in Fort Madison, Iowa. His family relocated to Warwick, R.I., before he entered high school. Following graduation from high school in 1954, he entered the NROTC program at Brown University in Providence, R.I.

In May 1959, he married Nancy Couch, his high-school sweetheart.

After being awarded an A.B. in economics from Brown in 1958, Capt. Fish embarked on a naval career that spanned 23 years. His duty stations included Military Sea Transportation System, Oakland, Calif.; Supply Officer, USS Willis A. Lee (DL-4), Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico; Bureau of Naval Supply Corps Personnel, Washington, D.C.; Naval Exchange Officer, Naval Station, Rota, Spain; Executive Assistant and Senior Aide to Chief of Naval Supply Corps, Washington, D.C.; Ships Parts Control Center, Mechanicsburg, Pa.; Supply Officer, USS White Plains (AFS-4), Naval Station, Yokosuka, Japan; Naval Air Systems Command, Crystal City, Va.; and Naval Supply Systems Command, Crystal City, Va.

Captain Fish's decorations include two Meritorious Service Medals, a Navy Commendation Medal and a Navy Battle Efficiency Medal.

During his service with the Navy, he earned a M.B.A. from Michigan State University.

After retirement from the Navy in 1981, Capt. Fish began a second career as a management consultant. His employers included Sears World Trade and PriceWaterhouse Coopers. Between 1981 and 1983, he worked for a joint venture establishing a supply center for the Royal Saudi Navy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Following the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, he established the PWC consulting office in Prague in 1991 and worked there through 1992.

Following a second retirement and relocating to Aiken, S.C., in 2004, he continued to work part-time as a seminar leader and consultant to senior military officers transitioning to the private sector. These seminars required travel to U.S. military locations throughout the United States and around the world.

Capt. Fish enjoyed golf throughout his life. He lettered in the sport both in high school and college and won numerous golf tournaments through the years. Capt. Fish also enjoyed traveling and reading.

Capt. Fish is survived by his wife of 54 years, Nancy C. Fish of Aiken, S.C.; two sons, Stephen J. Fish of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (husband of Vickie) and Peter A. Fish of Oak Hill, Va. (husband of Karen); one daughter, Susan Fish-Cedergren of Burnsville, N.C. (wife of Eric); one brother, Jon Fish of Chapel Hill, N.C.; and one cousin, Nan Merz of Spartanburg, S.C.

Capt. Fish and his wife have 10 grandchildren: Benjamin Fish, Brittany Fish, Byron Fish, Baylor Fish, Amanda Fish, Kristen Fish, David Fish, Gressa Cedergren, Wren Cedergren and Leif Cedergren.

A funeral service was held Monday, March 4, at St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church in Aiken, S. C. Burial, with full military honors, followed at Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be submitted to: The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, 10 West Broadway, Suite 700, Salt Lake City, UT 84101.

Published March 8, 2013 in The Gazette