Family's Greatest Wish: Mill Pond Memorial to Daughter

For Brighton Township residents Herb and Carlene Fisher, every day has been difficult since the passing of Sara Fisher Cole, the oldest of their four children. The 35-year-old Brighton High School graduate, who later moved to Jackson, was fatally injured Feb. 5, 2011.

The van she was riding in was hit from behind by a semitrailer on Interstate 94 during a snow squall in which conditions were slippery and visibility was poor. The family was heading to Kalamazoo to visit relatives at the time.

Cole was 8½ months pregnant at the time. Doctors were able to deliver her baby girl, named Miranda. The infant was placed on life support but died three days later.

The family is still coming to grips with the tragedy nearly a year later and hopes to memorialize Cole at .

The memorial, in the form of a metal sculpture, would be installed as a water fountain in the Mill Pond in downtown Brighton. It would be a reproduction of one of Cole's artworks. 

"When we saw the Mill Pond was going to be updated, it was the first time we had felt any excitement since she died," said Herb Fisher.

The Fishers unveiled their idea at a public forum on the in December.

"They were receptive, and we were delighted," Fisher said. 

The Fishers will formally present their memorial proposal at the next meeting of the Brighton Arts & Culture Advisory Commission. The commission meets at 4 p.m. Monday in council chambers at .

City Council member Claudia Roblee, who is also chairperson of the Brighton Arts & Culture Advisory Commission, said that while the Fishers' proposal looks promising, it would have to jump through a lot of hoops before being considered for final approval.

"It has to be approved by the advisory commission, the Mill Pond master plan committee and the Planning Commission (before going to council)," Roblee said. 

The family envisions a stainless steel water fountain replication of their daughter's "stylized" sculpture in the Mill Pond, complete with water jets at the base.

The sculpture depicts two fish jumping out of the water, with accompanying waves. The Fishers have titled it "Joy to You and Me," a lyric from 1971's No. 1 hit song by Three Dog Night titled "Joy to the World."

The song's connection with the sculpture comes from the line which goes: "Joy to the world, all the boys and girls now, joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, joy to you and me." 

All costs associated with the 7-foot-tall sculpture would be paid entirely by the family, and it would be donated to the city. The family is also asking that a plaque be installed nearby with a short description of the sculpture and their daughter.

A tragic accident

Fisher was driving the minivan the night his daughter died. Other than Cole, the van's occupants, including Sara's husband of 14 years, Chad Cole, suffered minor injuries.

Fisher said the truck driver was going too fast for the snow-covered, slippery conditions that prevailed at the time and didn't apply his brakes until the last second. Police didn't ticket the truck driver, whom Fisher said never got out of his truck to assist the injured.

Fisher said safety standards for trucks are woefully inadequate, and he is now fighting for stricter truck regulations. He believes that all new large trucks should be required to have have automatic braking systems, which have sensors to detect an imminent collision and automatically apply brake pressure. 

The technology is not new, and many cars — although primarily luxury models — have automatic brakes to help avoid collisions.

Cole's love of art

"Two adjectives describe Sara: One is creative and the other is kind," Fisher said. 

"She never said a bad thing about anybody," said her sister Felicia Fisher, 33, who, among the four children, was the closest in age to Cole. 

"(Sara) rescued lots of cats," Felicia said. "We found rabbits at Kensington Metropark, and she kept them; one lived in our bathroom." The family recounted how, as a child, Cole would hide animals she had "rescued" in a closet or other areas of the house. 

Cole found creative expression in all of art's forms, from painting to metal, wood and clay sculpture and even quilts, her family said. A modest and unassuming person, she didn't sign her paintings or other artwork, they said.

Cole regarded her art as an avocation and worked full time at Brown Floral in Jackson. Her family said she was particularly good at creating floral arrangements for special events such as weddings and had hoped to open her own flower shop someday.

The family attends a grief support group called Parents of Hope at the in Brighton Township, which has given them some comfort. However, they are looking for more — a sense of closure — in the form of a permanent memorial. 

The Fishers say a beautiful fountain in Brighton's historic Mill Pond would be a fitting and lasting tribute to their beloved daughter and sister, whose life was so instantly and tragically snuffed out.