Obituary of Jaye Bryan Fisher

Jaye Bryan Pearse Fisher, 73, of Star City, died Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017, in the WV Veterans Nursing Facility, in Clarksburg.

She had been active in Star City affairs, having served as a council member, recorder and town police court judge, and was a founder and co-chair of the Star City Glass Festival.

A 1962 graduate of Morgantown High School, Jaye joined the U.S. Marines in 1964, serving for two years. She then returned to Morgantown and enrolled at West Virginia University. She graduated magna cum laude in 1973 with a BSJ from the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism.

1973 marked another milestone in her life. She had met Edward P. Fisher, also studying at WVU, on a blind date to see Bob Hope perform, and he became a steady part of her life. They married on Nov. 30, 1973, and moved to a home in Star City the following year.

Jaye became a dog groomer in the mid-1970s, and later opened her own shop, Mountainside Dog Grooming. She also bred and trained Shetland sheep dogs. You would always find a dog by her side until she was hospitalized.

For five years, starting in the mid 1980s, she wrote a popular pet column for The Dominion Post.

She was proud to have received the Presidential Award for Outstanding Community Service – Vietnam Era Veterans in 1979.

Jaye loved to watch the birds and wildlife at the family's cabin on Chippewa Lake, Preston County. She loved classical music and traveling, especially to Florida. She was a born-again Christian, but admitted that she was not perfect.

She had a wide circle of friends, who called her "JB" and enjoyed visiting to talk about a wide range of topics.

She will be remembered for her mulled cider and oyster stew at Christmas, and mashed rutabaga, calling it her "one dish that nobody will eat."

Jaye was born May 25, 1944, in Cleveland, Ohio, daughter of the late Mary Jane Pearse, who taught at WVU, and Wilford Ashley Pearse II.

In addition to her husband, Ed, she is survived by a daughter, Laura Gunter and spouse Paul, of Morgantown; a son, E. Bryan Fisher and wife Tracia, of Clarksburg; two brothers, Ford Pearse of South Carolina, and Jon Pearse of New Hampshire; and six grandchildren.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a grandson, Thomas, on Dec. 25, 2015.

In keeping with her wishes, cremation services have been entrusted to Hastings Funeral Home. Friends and family will be received at Hastings Funeral Home, 153 Spruce St., Morgantown on Wednesday, September 27th from 5-8 PM. A private family committal service will take place at the WV National Cemetery at a later date.

Instead of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to the Salvation Army, 1224 University Ave., Morgantown, WV 26505 or Wounded Warriors PO Box 758517 Topeka, Kansas 66675-8517.

Online condolences may be made at www.hastingsfuneralhome.com.