He was a newspaper deliverer with heart and soul: More than half his life he reliably delivered daily newspapers in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn, regardless of wind and weather.
After his death, many subscribers and his family mourned.
Now the loyal delivery person has been refused - with an extraordinary tombstone.
Siegertsbrunn - 14 stars frame the portrait on Peter Fischer's tombstone.
"Each star stands for a family member who is close to him: his wife, four children, three children-in-law and six grandchildren," explains his daughter Miriam Schultz.
But at the grave of Siegertsbrunner, who died in January after a brief serious illness, there is another eye-catcher: a picture made of crystal glass showing him as a newspaper delivery man with a bicycle and Merkur issues in a delivery bag.
No wonder: delivering newspapers early in the morning was a great passion of the loving family father.
Peter Fischer liked reading the Münchner Merkur best
For over 42 years, Peter Fischer got up regularly at 2 a.m. to bring the daily reading in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn to the man or woman.
“And he loved to read the Münchner Merkur himself most of all,” says his wife Maria, who has been delivering newspapers for a little longer than her husband.
The native Siegertsbrunner got to know his wife as a teenager - practically at the garden fence.
“We lived almost next to each other,” says Maria Fischer.
Friendship became affection, affection became love.
The couple married in March 1973 and their first son was born six months later.
Three more children would follow.
A family man with a big heart
“My dad loved the family more than anything,” says the daughter.
So he was happy and satisfied when the family got together for celebrations or when they went on a swimming trip to Lake Starnberg - including a rubber dinghy and a filled cool box.
Peter Fischer was also always there for the grandchildren, be it to take care of the offspring by the pool on one of the family cruises while the parents went on shore excursions, or as a supervisor while playing ice hockey.
On many occasions he then took up the video camera and captured precious moments for eternity.
+
"When I deliver newspapers, I'm fine," Peter Fischer liked to say.
Here he can be seen with his wife Maria.
The photo of him now also adorns his grave and reminds of his passion.
© Stefan Weinzierl
The locksmith, who retired early at the age of 58, also loved his dogs.
After he stopped going to work, it was a dear habit for him to get on his bike again in the morning with his four-legged friend.
“When driving for a walk”, remembers his wife Maria, “he met a lot of people and chatted with them”.
Hard-working hobbyist to the end
The passionate hobbyist never got bored.
He built a gig for his horse-loving daughter, regardless of whether it was in his own garden or in that of his mother-in-law, “he tackled everything,” says Maria Fischer.
Even when he was severely affected by the disease, he still got down to business and built a wooden hut for his mother-in-law's robot lawn mower.
When his health got worse and worse, one thing in particular hit him hard: “That he could no longer get his newspapers out,” says daughter Miriam.
How close the relationship was with the subscribers is shown by their reactions to the death of the 70-year-old.
“We have heard from many that they miss him - for example the way he rolled the newspaper.
And we also received memorial cards from many newspaper readers, ”she says.
His wife continues to deliver newspapers
Family and newspaper delivery - both were so important to Peter Fischer until his death. And his grave in the Leonhardifriedhof now reminds of both. Incidentally, his wife Maria wants to keep delivering newspapers, and in autumn she can celebrate her 45th anniversary with the company. But that should not end there, reveals Maria Fischer: "My husband and I have always said: If we deliver newspapers, then we are fine."