Obituary of Stephen Karl Fischnaller

Stephen Karl “Steve” Fischnaller, of Olympia, Washington, passed away at his home on May 8, 2018, at the age of 66. The cause of death was concluded to have been cardiac arrhythmia.

 

Steve was born in Omak, Washington, on March 2, 1952 to Joseph Erhart Fischnaller (Art) and Norma Pauline Fischnaller Knold (Helen). He was predeceased by both his parents, and his half-brothers, both attorneys, Joseph E. Fischnaller Jr. and Bryan Lee Fischnaller.

 

He grew up in Omak, learning to shoot, fish and mushroom hunt with his father and brothers. He attended Catholic school there, and then went on to graduate with a BS in Biology from Washington State University in 1976.

 

His most recent and primary employer was the State of Washington Department of Agriculture until his retirement in 2017. His responsibilities included inspecting commercial businesses for compliance with health codes for cleanliness and processing of foods, for which he took great pride in knowing he had some influence on their operations to serve the public in an atmosphere of safety and consumer confidence.

 

While he was dedicated to that regular job, it was his independent projects for which he had the most passion and which gave him the greatest satisfaction. Steve was an avid deep-sea diver and photographer. In 1986, his first edition of Northwest Shore Dives was published under his company name, Bio-Marine Images, and included a selection of his underwater and marine photos. The book was a comprehensive survey of scuba diving destinations along the coast of Washington state, including the San Juan Islands, and provided firsthand scientific accounts of what divers would encounter at those destinations, including sea life, plant life and geology above ground and in the water. He went on to publish two more editions with updates and new information, the third and final in 2000. He also published a tide chart for scuba divers, which would help them plan their dives more safely based on awareness of those conditions. He completed an unpublished historical novel entitled Cyanide Reef, which originated from his dive photography trips to the Philippines in the mid-1990s. Its central theme is the destruction of coral reefs and sea life caused by cyanide stunning of salt and fresh water tropical fish for the aquarium industry, a subject that concerned him greatly.

 

Steve’s other interests included reading, woodworking, remodeling, and cooking. As a fan of movies, he was also a member of the Olympia Film Society. His interest in all kinds of sciences, especially microbiology and marine biology, was his driving force, and he devoted himself to diligently educating himself in ways that he could apply to his life.

 

While he was once engaged for a brief time and had several other personal relationships throughout his life, he never married.

 

Most anyone who knew him would describe him as a pleasant, very likeable, intelligent, thoughtful, soft-spoken, gentle and concerned man.

 

Steve is survived by his beloved nieces, Katherine Fischnaller of Kent, Washington, and Bonnie Shanser (Micah) of Silverthorne, Colorado. Additionally he is survived by three uncles, Don and Ken Langenegger, and Jay Gilmore (Carol Fischnaller Gilmore), and many cousins on both sides of his family.

 

Donations in his memory may be made to Commemorative Giving, Seattle Children's Hospital and Research Foundation, P.O. Box 5371, Seattle, WA 98145-5005

 

 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Stephen Fischnaller, please visit Tribute Store