Organizer of Angel of Hope drive passes away, dream of statue not realized

For about the past 9 or 10 months there has been a movement in Oshkosh to erect a Christmas Box Angel of Hope statue in Oshkosh, giving people – parents, in particular who have lost a child – a place to go to mourn the loss of their loved one but also rejoice in their having lived. The angel statue concept is based on the early 1990s best-selling novel “The Christmas Box,” where the female character in the book mourns the loss of her child at an angel statue or monument. The reason for not putting such a statue in a cemetery or at a hospital is because those places far too often elicit sad, unhappy memories for survivors. They desire some place more peaceful.

Sharon Fisher and her husband, Jesse – who lost their daughter Alyssa a few years ago in a car accident – belong to a non-profit group known as The Compassionate Friends of Oshkosh, which was given Common Council approval to erect an angel statue in Menominee Park. That set off a firestorm of a debate this past spring when the Madison-based group Freedom from Religion threatened to sue the city if such a statute was placed in the park. They maintained that an angel is a religious icon and, therefore, to put up such a statue in city-owner park would violate the separation of church and state.

Since that time, the Fishers and their group have continued their fundraising effort to get enough funds to have the statue built, but they have also been trying to secure a site on private land somewhere. Such a fundraiser was held just two weeks ago. Sharon Fisher said when she appeared on Eye on Oshkosh that she never intended this issue to be a subject of controversy or to cause such upset for people. Like many parents who’ve suffered a loss, she only wanted a place to go to remember and mourn her daughter.

Now, sadly, Sharon passed away earlier this week at the age of 46 after a 10 year battle with cancer – and before being able to realize the dream of having the statue erected.

Whether you agreed with the angel in the park concept or believed it should have gone somewhere else, I think we can all agree it is tragic that this mother’s dream had not been realized before she too passed from this Earth. Sharon Fisher’s funeral will be this Friday and in lieu of flowers, the family is asking that memorials to the Angel of Hope Statue Fund in Sharon's name be made. Donations can be mailed to The Compassionate Friends of Oshkosh (PO Box 1204 Oshkosh WI 54903-1204) or the Fox Valley Savings Bank (1700 W 20th Ave Oshkosh WI 54902).

I think it would be a wonderful tribute to Sharon for all her work if a small tract of land in an appropriate place could be secured and her dream of a Christmas Box Angel of Hope statue in Oshkosh would finally be built. Thank you!

- Cheryl