In Memory of David Fischer, Certified Pedorthist

David Fischer was born into his family’s retail shoe business, Fischer’s Shoe Store in St. Louis, MO. At age 11 he began fitting shoes…from baby’s first step to grandpa’s work boots. Groomed to take over the family business, he realized no number of employees could take the place of his dad, mom, aunt and uncle, so he chose to walk a different path.  At age 24, he opened his own high fashion shoe store, Tootsies. Shortly after, he sold Tootsie's and moved to the countryside.

While in meditation, David had a clear vision of healing crippled people with “magical shoes”. Without a shoemaking school in America, he journeyed inward and bought a cobbling shop to start the journey to teach himself to construct custom made shoes. He realized the shoe was simply a shell for the total contact molded innersoles, so he ventured into orthotics and accommodative footwear with Dr. Gerald Cohen and Edith James at Custom Shoe Labs in St. Louis. Dr. Gerald Cohen, DPM, wanted shoes made in specific ways and employed David and Edith to implement his visions. Dr. Cohen taught Edith and David about feet and how they functioned. Edith had leather working and sandal making skills and David had worked as a cobbler. Together the 3 of them started making orthotics, then custom molded sandals, then finally closed in footwear for Dr. Cohen and his patients. In 1978, feet were regularly severely deformed with arthritis and arthritic nodules. They experimented and studied outcomes while listening to patients' feedback. Patients kept them busy!

In 1978, David became a Board Certified Pedorthist. Edith and David fell in love during this collaboration and married October 10, 1979. They left Custom Shoe Lab in 1980 to start their own business, Fischer's Therapeutic Footwear.  

"No one wanted to wear the ugly orthopedic shoes that were being offered by the pedorthic profession", said Fischer.  So he traveled to the largest shoe show in the world, Dusseldorf, Germany, in search of good looking shoes that women and men would want to wear. His hunting was successful.  Many of the brands he brought into the US have become standards in the comfort shoe industry. 

Fischer’s Therapeutic Footware inspired Edith to create Comfort Shoe Specialists in 1992 after she and David divorced. CSS had a large selection of comfort shoes and sizes, private exam rooms, and a large fabrication lab. Pedorthists visited her remarkable store and talented staff. Years later, David moved to northern New Mexico and replicated this model in Taos, NM as HealthShoes of Taos. He sold HealthShoes in 2008.

David served on the Board for Certification in Pedorthics for seven years to up-level the standards of the profession. He has been a member of Pedorthic Footcare Association and the American Board for Certification in Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Pedorthics. He taught pedorthic and orthotic related courses at Washington University, St Louis University and Logan Chiropractic College. 

Edith served on the Board for Certification in Pedorthics, Pedorthic Foundation and the National Shoe Retailers Association Board. Edith lectured to physician groups and presented numerous times at the Pedorthic Footcare Association annual symposiums. 

Sadly, David passed away from natural causes on June 8th, 2024.

Edith continues her practice in pedorthics in both Rochester, MN, where she lives with husband Joe Goodenough, Orthopedic Shoe Technician Extraordinaire (married in 1987). Edith also travels to Taos, NM, several times/year to serve clients. Colonias Chiropractic' staff refers frequently as they found huge benefits for patients to have stable foundations. Former clients of David also reach out frequently as people seek similar services, additional pairs or repairs. 

Edith also serves people with diabetes through Quantum Medical to provide therapeutic footwear and custom orthotics via Therapeutic Shoe Bill benefits. Contact Edith via 314-960-1408 phone or text OR ArtOfOrthotics@gmail.com  Edith decided after learning at PFA's symposium that diabetic foot amputations are increasing due to lack of providers.