Fred Dietfried Muecke

his children on February 11, 2019, from a basal ganglia hemorrhage. He was 82.

Fred, born Dietfried Gustav Alfred Muecke, began life January 23, 1937, in Berlin,

Germany. His parents, Wilhelm and Ursula Feist Muecke, divorced when he was young.

He resided with his father and stepmother Berta until he was 15, when he immigrated to the

United States. He lived with an uncle in Iowa and aunt and uncle in Wyoming, where he

graduated from Powell High School in 1957. He also lettered in track.

He served in the U.S. Army as a marksman before moving on to meat cutting school. He

worked as a civil service butcher in military commissaries, mostly Hurlburt Field at Eglin Air

Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., for the rest of his career.

In November 4, 1962, Fred married Carolyn Downing. They were married for 20 years,

and they had two children, Rodney and Ursula.

After they divorced in 1983, Fred married Ruth Bechtold on June 3, 1988. They

remained married until his sweet Ruthie passed away March 24, 2016.

Fred is survived by his two children, Rodney and Ursula, son-in-law Eric Fagerstrom and

his three grandchildren, Zachary, Sela, and Sarah. He is also survived by his brothers Raimund

and Wilhelm and sisters Heidi and Elke of Germany.

A celebration of life breakfast will be held 8 am, Thursday, April 18, at Navarre United

Methodist Church, 9474 Navarre Pkwy, Navarre, Fla., followed by an 11:30 am burial service at

Barrancas National Cemetery, 1 Cemetery Rd, Pensacola, Fla.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Samaritan's Purse are welcomed.