East Brunswick Resident Who Lived Through WWII Bombings Celebrates 95th Birthday

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — When Joyce Fisher was 11-years-old World War II broke out in Europe. A resident of London, Fisher spent most of her childhood and early teenage years growing up under the shadow of war.

“Anybody who has lived through a war knows you cannot be afraid 24 hours a day and you just go on with your life as if there was nothing wrong with it. It seems so remarkable to us now, that it was something that happened, and you went on with it,” Fisher told Patch.

Having survived a war and pandemic, Fisher has lived a remarkable life making the most of opportunities that came her way. She will be celebrating her 95th birthday on Wednesday.

After the war ended, Fisher did a bit of modeling in London and worked for sometime as a secretary. At age 21, she moved to New York.

“I came here in 1950. Everything in England was destroyed due to the war. As a young girl seeing what was going on in other parts of the world was exciting. In England we still had the doldrums and the rationing — it was sort of dull,” recalls Fisher.

“A friend was coming to America and I had relatives here so I came along with her. It was tough and I was looking for change.”

Once in New York, Fisher found a job as a secretary. It was in New York that she went on a blind date and met Milton Fisher, her future husband. Milton was a WWII veteran who fought as staff sergeant in the U.S. Marines.

The couple moved to East Brunswick around 54 years ago, to build their family. They ran a local business, Knauers Furs, and raised four children in the township.

“The township has definitely changed a lot over the years. Every time I go out I always see new faces. And that’s the best part about East Brunswick — it's a very comfortable township and everyone feels welcome here,” Fisher said.

Apart from helping her husband in their business, Fisher also worked at Rutgers University for 12 years. As she missed a lot of schooling due to the war, Fisher enrolled in Rutgers to complete her higher education.

“My education was pretty fractured. I did get some commercial training towards the end of the war, but I missed learning. When my children were in college, I found it so exciting that I decided to go get my degree,” Fisher said.

In 1986, Fisher graduated from Rutgers, around the same time her daughter got married.

“I had a great time at Rutgers. I went to summer school in Italy and tried to take an art history class. That was wonderful,” she said. And her journey with learning has not ended as Fisher is now learning sign language with another friend.

Although Fisher has lived in the U.S. for years now, she still misses London.

“I’m a royalist. The birthday cake my son made for me had a Union Jack wrapped around it. I was so thrilled,” Fisher said.

She recalls writing to the now late Queen Elizabeth a few years ago and receiving a response from her.

“The Queen and I were close in age and having lived in London I followed what they did. Her Jubilee and my 60th anniversary coincided, and I wrote a letter to her. I got a personal response from her, which is like my secret possession,” she said.

After her husband died in 2016, Fisher "couldn’t function well" due to grief. She turned her attention towards artistic pursuits to help her through the challenging time.

She is a painter, writer and recently joined a drum circle. She published her debut anthology “The Bird’s Last Song and Other Poems” and is now teaching herself the piano.

When asked about the secret of her long and remarkable life, Fisher confessed to being a fatalist.

“I lived through a war and I'm pretty much a fatalist. I ate ordinary food during the war, but it was wholesome. I’m fairly active. But I think it's all in the genes,” she said.

“Reaching 90 was a big surprise, but 95? That's just ridiculous! It’s all a blessing.”

You can follow Fisher on Instagram, where she regularly posts her artwork.

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