Contributions to the tribute of Raymond Morris Fish

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Maury Topolosky, M.D. posted a condolence

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

I was very sorry to hear about Ray. I was a Pulmonary Critical Care Doctor for 30 years in CU before I retired. I knew Fish from the ER at Burnham, and Mercy and subsequent Hospitals in the area. I loved it when he was "on" in the ER. They would call me and say "hey TOP, Fish just resuscitated one for you", and I would go to the ER to see what was going on. It was always the same "Fish what have you done now?" "caught you a live one" "are you sure?" "yes I am sure" We would go over plans and come up with a treatment protocol, and I would really love working with him because I was a Chemical Engineer before I went to Med School, so we would have really in depth esoteric scientific discussions. The Nurses were always listening, and it was "Oh MY God the two Mad Scientists are at it again" . He would always come up to the ICU before he left, or the next shift when he came back to see how his folk were doing. Burnham was the trauma center at that time, and it was busy and the patients were really sick. He was always in control. Ray was a very nice man, caring, compassionate, professional, and competent. A good mix. He was definitely one of the Good Guys. May his memory serve as a blessing to you.

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Mary Butzow posted a condolence

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Dear Brad, David and Families, In the 1980's I had the privilege of working with your father, Ray Fish, at the Emergency Department, Trauma Center of Burnham City Hospital in Champaign. As the night shift Charge Nurse, I spent many hours working with and learning from your dad. When I learned of his death on Thursday, I participated in a Messenger Chat with other old comrades, sharing "Fish Stories". I would like to share some with you. Although I don't remember if we ever met, I feel like I knew you as children, as your father would talk about you both. After I left the ED, whenever we would meet up, Dr. Fish would fill me in on what you were doing. Dr. Ray Fish was one of the most remarkable individuals I ever met. He was kind, compassionate and caring, with the mischievous grin of a boy. As said in the obituary, he was able to see the humor in life. In his own quiet way he was a great leader. He was one of the few physicians I ever worked with (over 40 years) who did not have a huge ego. He treated the whole team; nurses, x-ray, lab, techs, as colleagues rather than underlings. By asking for our input and honestly listening to that input he made us feel like and work like a team. We would do whatever he asked and if we questioned him, he did not get defensive, but used that opportunity to teach. We jokingly called him a "Pair o Docs" because of his PhD. and MD. As a scientist at heart he looked at emergency medicine and patients in a way very different from other physicians. He was able to step back and question why certain symptoms were present, how treatments might work or not work and what we could do better. Dr. Fish was always looking to improve his practice and read medical journals constantly. Yet he was a paradox. He was so brilliant, yet was addicted to "Dallas" the nighttime soap opera. Dr. Fish got the reputation of "Never say die" Fish. This relates to his practice of cardiac arrest care. At that time, the American Heart Association had algorithms for treating various presentations of cardiac arrest. The algorithm for asystole, or flat line absence of cardiac activity was very long. Because asystole was considered a terminal rhythm and not successfully treatable, many physicians cut it off after a few minutes of work. But Dr. Fish, to the dismay of some nurses and staff, always worked the algorithm to the very end. He explained to me that he did this because that way he could look family members in the eye when he told them their loved one was dead and say honestly, that "I did everything I could". After I left the ED, I worked in Hospital Education. When I coordinated Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) courses, Dr. Fish was my Medical Director. He was a wonderful teacher in that setting also. The final exam of ACLS is a simulated cardiac arrest scenario. Some people are able to "act" through the scenario very well, but some who know the material well are unable to perform. When deciding if someone "passed" the course or not, Dr. Fish would always ask "did they kill anyone?", In other words, did the student make a fatal error, a medication error or procedural error versus skipping one pulse check.. If it was just nerves and the errors made were not a threat, Dr. Fish would counsel the student and pass them. I used this same criteria in other courses I taught until I retired. Sometimes Dr. Fish needed to make a bigger impression when teaching scenarios. A critical part of the simulation was, looking all around the patient before using electrical current to defibrillate. This is a safety issue, because if a team member is touching the patient or leaning on the table, the team member could get shocked also and get a potentially serious injury. This look around is followed by the person with the defibrillator shouting "clear" and is known as "clearing the table". Failing to "clear the table" was an absolute fail for the course. One class we had a student who just couldn't remember to "clear the table". Dr. Fish stepped in to observe this student in a scenario, standing off to the side of the manikin. When the student again failed to "clear the table" Dr. Fish clasped his chest and fell over the manikin as if he had been electrocuted, although it was all simulation and there was no electricity going to the manikin at all. The whole room became immediately silent, thinking something serious had happed to Dr. Fish. After a few seconds, he got up with that grin of his and said, "that is why you clear the table". The student got the message and he never failed to look out for the wellbeing of his team again. A great example of unorthodox Ray Fish education. I could tell hundreds of Ray Fish stories, from eating at night (he was like a newborn, we had to feed him every 3 hours), to unexpected baby deliveries, and dealing with the social quagmires of emergency patients. Over the last few days these funny and honest memories have been coming back. It was a joy and an honor to work with Ray Fish and call him my friend. He will be missed. Mary Butzow, RN, MS

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Carol Ceci (Seeberg) posted a condolence

Friday, July 3, 2020

I remember our family being good friends when we were kids. Our moms, Ellen Seeberg, and Shirley Fish were the best of friends as adults. We miss them dearly and all the memories. Hugs to the family. May you find peace and comfort in the days ahead. Fondly, Carol

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Loyd M Wax posted a condolence

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Vickie and I send our condolences on Ray's passing. We fondly remember Ray and his family when we were neighbors on McHenry Street in Urbana, IL. Ray was an interesting, friendly and really neat man. He surely will be missed. May he rest in peace. Loyd and Vickie Wax

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Steve and Judy Ullom and sons, John and Joel posted a condolence

Thursday, July 2, 2020

We would like to express our condolence at the loss of your father. We have many fond memories of your family from our son's school days in Urbana. Steve, Judy, John and Joel Ullom

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Mike and Judy Block posted a condolence

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Our deepest sympathies, Mike and Judy Block

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The family of Raymond Morris Fish uploaded a photo

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Raymond Morris Fish

1945 - 2020

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