Lila J. Fiske

Lila J. Fiske, 93, of Brasher Falls, passed away peacefully at home on October 28, surrounded by her loving family. Lila was born at home in Nicholville, NY, on May 24, 1931, the third child of Edward and Dorothy (Brown) Monica. She enjoyed a happy childhood and had fond memories of her caring parents, her doting maternal grandparents who lived next door, and her father’s French-Canadian relatives who would visit regularly and enliven the house with music, song, and drink. She recalled taking over her brother’s newspaper route with her younger sister Neva when they were in grade school; starting work as an operator at Nicholville Telephone Company when she was just 14 (working after school and on weekends); studying how to identify enemy aircraft during WWII; and learning to drive stick shift on a '28 Chevy.

She met her future husband Merle (Pete) Fiske in high school when she transferred to Parishville-Hopkinton High School in the 9th grade. They were wed on November 4, 1950, at the Methodist church in Potsdam, in a small private ceremony.

Their new marriage was interrupted in 1952 when Pete was drafted during the Korean War and served two years overseas in Germany. During that time, Lila helped Pete’s mother Julia run the Fiske country store on Route 11B between Potsdam and Hopkinton, and the two drove to Oklahoma (a big adventure) to visit Pete at Fort Sill before he shipped out. In 1954, Pete was discharged from the army and upon returning home, he and Lila bought a former dairy farm in Brasher Falls, where they lived for the rest of their lives. While Pete worked as a surveyor on construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway, Lila worked as a telephone operator in Potsdam, and together they labored to turn the property into a commercial poultry farm, eventually selling eggs to local stores, restaurants, and hospitals, while also raising a flock of sheep, and growing various crops commercially, including sweet corn and strawberries.

Long hoping for children, Lila and Pete finally became parents in 1960 with the birth of Kevin, followed by sons Kelly and Kyle. Once her three boys were all in school, Lila returned to work as a telephone operator in Potsdam and later worked for many years in the accounting office at Kraft Foods in North Lawrence, where she was well liked by all and enjoyed interacting with everyone from local dairy farmers, to plant workers, to company executives.

Lila loved the outdoors, going mountain climbing and trout fishing with Pete when they were young (though admitting that she had to hold the worms with Kleenex while putting them on the hook), and she was always fond of ice-skating, teaching all three sons to skate when they were just toddlers. She had a lifelong interest in gardening and was always proud of her manicured lawns and colorful flower beds, continuing to tend to a couple acres of lawn on her zero-turn mower when she was well into her 80s. 

Although she often said she had never planned to live on a farm, she never hesitated to dive in wherever help was needed, whether delivering lambs in the middle of winter, gathering and candling eggs, picking strawberries for sale, or making a hearty lunch for the sheep-shearing crew who came through every spring. Weekends and evenings were often spent driving her boys to hockey practices, away games, guitar lessons, marching band, and other school events, and she encouraged each of them to pursue their own interests, knowing that none of them planned to take over the farm.

An avid reader throughout her life, Lila was known to zip through novels of all types at an impressive rate. She also enjoyed birdwatching, and she kept her bird feeders full of seed and suet every winter, always on the lookout for her elusive Cardinals. She was eternally positive and upbeat, a lesson she learned from her maternal grandmother, who she recalled having always told her, “You just have to make the best of it.”

Perhaps what Lila was best-known for among family and friends was her skill in the kitchen. She loved to cook and bake and was generous in sharing her creations. She often sent casseroles, pies, and plates of cookies to friends and acquaintances for any occasion, and very rarely did an evening go by that she didn’t prepare a complete meal from scratch for her family. Her Thanksgiving dinners were the highlight of the year, and her two freezers were always full of home-baked goods, “in case anyone drops in.” Once when delivering baked goods to a fundraising event at the fire hall, she was pleased to learn when she arrived that her contribution had been spoken for in advance by someone who had left money for “whatever Lila Fiske brings.” And she was glad that all three of her sons shared this interest and benefitted from her baking instructions and tips.

During the final years of her life, when she could no longer live alone, her loving granddaughter Emily (along with Emily’s husband Todd and their daughter Emmalyn, followed soon after by daughter Eden) moved in with Lila, providing essential full-time care that allowed her to remain in her beloved home, surrounded by a joyful, caring, family. Lila so enjoyed the lively household with her two precious great-granddaughters (plus two dogs and a cat) and benefitted also from the devoted care of Morgan Deragon, Nate Sage, and Dawn LaShomb, who helped tend to her every need and treated her like family. 

Lila is survived by her three sons, Kevin of Winthrop, NY; Kelly (David) of Interlaken, NY; and Kyle of Rockport, MA; as well as by her two grandchildren Emily (Todd) Kimble of Brasher Falls, NY, and Andrew (Ellen) Fiske of Brasher Falls; her four great-grandchildren, Emmalyn Mary and Eden Monica Kimble, and Scarlett Anne and Benjamin Andrew Fiske; her sister Neva Cross, formerly of Fort Covington; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, by her devoted husband Pete (after 67 years of marriage), and by her siblings, Erma Webb, Marvel Monica, Edna Monica, and Rita Monica.

Calling hours will be from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., Monday, November 4, (her and Pete’s anniversary) at Hammill Funeral Home in Winthrop, with funeral service at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 5, with graveside service immediately following at the Fort Jackson cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley, in Potsdam, the Brasher Falls United Methodist Church, or to Tri-Town Volunteer Rescue, in Brasher Falls.

Memories and condolences can be shared with her family at www.hammillfh.com.