Myrtle’s Responsibility: Honoring the Sister Who Helped Raise Earl Dewey Fisher

Jul 18, 2026

Family stories are often built from small moments—acts of kindness and responsibility that might have seemed ordinary at the time but become treasured memories in later years. My latest illustration, Myrtle’s Responsibility, was created for The Biography of Earl Dewey Fisher | Episode 3: Brothers and Sisters and captures one of those moments from Earl’s childhood.

Inspired by Earl’s own words, the artwork depicts his oldest sister, Olive Myrtle Fisher, caring for him as a baby while their mother, Ida, tends to his younger sister, Lillian. Although Myrtle was only about eleven years old, she played an important role in helping raise her younger siblings. Earl later recalled that his father often remarked on how well Myrtle cared for him during those early years.

The Fisher Brothers and Sisters

In this chapter of Earl’s biography, he reflects on the siblings who shared his childhood. Olive Myrtle Fisher was born on April 21, 1887, in Yale, Guthrie County, Iowa. She was followed by William “W.O.” Fisher, born on September 18, 1888, in Guthrie Center, Iowa; Arthur Clyde Fisher, born on January 18, 1890, in Pocahontas, Iowa; and Clarence Ray Fisher, born on December 7, 1892, in Bradgate, Iowa.

Charlie Fisher was born on February 16, 1895, in Grantville, Kansas, while Earl himself was born exactly three years later, on February 16, 1898, in the same town. Lillian arrived on July 18, 1899, and Mabel completed the family on September 3, 1905, in Easton, Kansas.

Earl also noted that he and Lillian were the last surviving children of Samuel and Ida Fisher at the time he recorded his memories. He reflected on how little separated his age from Lillian’s—only fourteen months—and how Myrtle’s care helped bridge that gap while their mother looked after the youngest members of the family.

Bringing the Memory to Life

To visually represent this chapter, I chose to focus on the family dynamic that stood out most in Earl’s recollections: the responsibility placed upon his oldest sister. The illustration shows Myrtle holding young Earl while Ida tends to baby Lillian, preserving a scene that speaks to the strength and devotion found within the Fisher household.

The artwork was created using a mechanical pencil, kneaded eraser, colored pencil, India ink pen, fine liner pen, and acrylic paint pen before being digitally refined in Snapseed. Combining traditional and digital techniques allowed me to capture both the warmth of the memory and the historical setting in which it took place.

The Artwork and Merchandise Collection

Myrtle’s Responsibility is available as an open-edition print, along with a selection of products inspired by the artwork:

Watch Episode 3

You can watch The Biography of Earl Dewey Fisher | Episode 3: Brothers and Sisters here