Longtime Firefighter, MEND Member Is Moorestown's Citizen Of Year

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Max Fisher says his greatest achievement has been his participation in the Moorestown Ecumenical Neighborhood Development (MEND). MEND is a non-profit organization founded by several Moorestown Churches, and has been a beacon of affordable housing in Burlington County since 1969.

His efforts with MEND and his service as a volunteer firefighter have helped him land the designation as Moorestown’s Citizen of the Year for 2020, the Moorestown Service Clubs announced on Monday.

He will officially be honored during the Citizen of the Year dinner at the Moorestown Community House on Wednesday Feb. 5, 2020, 7 p.m. Appetizers will be served beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Fisher served on MEND’s Board of Trustees as a representative of First United Methodist Church, of which he was a member for more than 60 years. He was MEND’s chairman from 2010 through 2018, according to the Service Clubs.

During his time with the church, he participated in and attended over 25 church missions throughout the United States and overseas. On these missions, he helped others understand the church and move their lives forward.

Fisher was an original member of the Ys men, a service club that was active in Moorestown until a couple of years ago, according to the Service Clubs. He has been a volunteer firefighter since 1971 (48 years), and continues to be a life member of the Relief Engine Co. on Chester Avenue.

He was elected Fire Commissioner in 2005, and is currently Chairman of the Board. He is also a former Battalion Chief of the Moorestown Fire Department and has been a member Relief Engine Company 312 for nearly 50 years.

He has responded to over 50 percent of the Company's fire calls and was instrumental in the returning the 1952 former Mack relief engine to Moorestown in 2019, which served the local community from 1952-1977.

Fisher was the unanimous selection of the Moorestown service clubs (Breakfast and Lunch Rotary, and Lions) for this year’s award, which recognizes special individuals in Moorestown who have demonstrated great leadership and selflessness through their volunteer work and dedication to the community.

It’s been a long time coming for Fisher, who moved to Moorestown in 1953 as a young boy when his father got a job at RCA. He attended Moorestown public schools, became a lifelong active member of the First Methodist Church of Moorestown, and has remained in town throughout his adult life.

In 1970, he and his father started Taylor Rental, which was open for nearly 50years. Max Fisher was the owner and president of the company. He sold the business in 2019.

He and his wife Beth have been part of a loving marriage that has spanned over 50 years. When his daughter-in-law was in need of a kidney, he was there to donate one of his own. After the tragic the passing of his young daughter Wendy in a car accident many years ago, Max and Beth established a scholarship at the Moorestown High School in the name of Wendy, honoring her while giving back to the community.

Tickets for the Moorestown Citizen of the Year Dinner can be purchased at the Community House or from the Moorestown Rotary Breakfast Club, Moorestown Rotary Lunch Club or the Moorestown Lions Club members. Tickets are $55 per person.