Karl Fischer was born on February 22, 1949 in Gemzse, Hungary. In 1956, his family escaped during the Hungarian Revolution and made their way to Montreal. As a young man, Karl excelled at sports and at school. He attended McGill and graduated in 1972 with two Architecture degrees and many broken bones from all the rugby he played. As tenacious in business as he was on the field, Karl opened his own architecture firm in 1984 in Montreal and a branch in New York City in 1999. A self-made man, Karl designed many of the houses, commercial buildings and condominiums that grace the skyline in Montreal and New York.
Outside of work, Karl loved adventure, travel, music and spending time in Vermont with his family and his Highland cows. Whether he was driving the tractor, designing a luxury treehouse for his granddaughters, or bushwhacking through the deep snow on his cross-country skis, Karl was never happier than when he had a long list of tasks to accomplish. If he wasn\u0027t fixing something or chopping something down, he could be found cycling through the Green Mountains, snowboarding at Jay Peak, flying his plane, or climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Although some may think of Karl as a man of few words, he had a huge heart and loved his family and friends more than anything else. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Pamela; his children Alison (Ian) and Daniel (Andrea); and his beloved grandchildren Amelia, Clara and Maelyn. He is also survived by his brother, George; his sister, Kathy; his mother, Elizabeth; as well as his nieces, nephews and their children. He is predeceased by his father, Lazlo Fischer.
Karl died peacefully in Vermont on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 surrounded by family.
A private memorial will be held later this spring in Montreal. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a charitable donation in Karl\u0027s name to Humane Canada (https://www.humanecanada.ca/farm_animals) or to Dr. Panasci\u0027s Research Fund (1160-102559) at the Jewish General Hospital https://www.jghfoundation.org/en/donations/products.