Lee Tischer ready for something new

After 27 years, Lee Tischer is retiring from the County Road Department. For some, retirement means tee times or travel, television or gardening, and certainly too much time on their hands.

Not Tischer. His last physical day on the job is today, Thursday, June 25. His last official day is July 6. He's already attending training to be a bus driver for the Wahkiakum School District and he's running for office. That's just for starters, as they say.

Tischer graduated from Wahkiakum High School in 1971 and married his high school sweetheart, Diane, in 1973. In his 20s, he bought a freight truck and hauled freight from Longview to Long Beach. Eventually he sold the business and went to work for another freight company for several years. He had been driving a log truck for a few years when a job with the county road department opened up.

"Logging wasn't really secure," Tischer said. "I thought this would be consistent. I wouldn't have to worry about shut downs and things like that in the winter and summer, so I applied."

A lot of construction was done back in those days, according to Tischer. They widened roads in the Elochoman, on Puget Island, and on several of the town hills.

"It was a lot of fun," Tischer said. "We kept busy, it was something different every day. I was outside.

"The down side is when the trees are tipping over and the snow is flying and you are outside while everyone else is hunkered in.

"There were a lot of storms," he said, "and a couple close calls."

One night around 10 p.m. during a major flood, he had driven out the Elochoman to check on a hillside that was said to be sliding. He took the old road to Crown Camp Road and started toward the main Elochoman Road when he saw lights blinking. He stopped.

Tischer got out to see what was going on. He shined a light on the road, which looked fine. But the man who lived in the house there knew better and had been sitting in his truck that night just in case someone drove by.

Two six foot culverts had washed out and all that was left was four inches of black top.

"I'll never forget that man," Tischer said. "He saved my bacon."

Just as Tischer was setting out a barricade the road collapsed.

Another time he was working during a severe ice storm in a plow truck sanding Clover Street near the golf course. He noted all the cars parked at the bottom of the hill, but now freely admits he was young and brash. He got part way up the hill and proceeded to slide back down the hill to and fro in that plow truck."

"I came back down and I missed every car," Tischer laughed. "To this day, I don't know how I did that."

Tischer won't miss all the hours in the snow plow or being in the middle of a windstorm with trees dropping all around him and is happy to say that in 27 years he's only had two broken ribs and a concussion.

"I worked with a good crew," Tischer said. "We are a small crew so everybody has a role to play and it takes good teamwork to get things done."

An active man, Tischer was on the Wahkiakum School District Board of Directors for 16 years. He volunteered for the Puget Island Fire Department for 25 years and served as a fire commissioner. He has been organizing the Rods and Reels event for 10 years now and plans to do five more.

"It's such a great place to live," Tischer said, "it's hard not to get involved. I stay active and I plan on staying that way."

The Tischers have two daughters, Darcy and Tiffany, and three grandchildren.

"That's one thing I'm really looking forward to," Tischer said. "spending more time with them. In the past, when it would snow and snow and snow, I would be out plowing and I would come home and everyone would want to go sledding and it was the last thing I wanted to do."

There are also the projects sitting in the garage and the never ending ones around the house.

"We have a 1950 Ford convertible that we never seems to get used and I would like to start using it more," Tischer said. "My first car was a 55 Chevy, and it was downhill from there. It's a fun hobby but it has changed a lot.

"Years ago you used to be able to find parts for anything on eBay," he continued, "but everybody seems to know the value of a part anymore. If you are trying to buy a used car anymore, they want so much for it, by the time you factor in how much you have to put into it, its not worth it."

He's got cars for two of the grandchildren that he is working on and is looking for a third for the youngest.

With so much to do and so much of it generated by desire instead of need, it's no wonder he's looking forward to a new chapter.