Frederick Baron “F.B.” Mayer, 75, of Baton Rouge passed away in his sleep at his home on April 4, 2025. His sudden loss is felt deeply by his family, friends and neighbors who remember his gregarious personality and sharp wit.
F. B. was born on October 21, 1949, in Beverly, Massachusetts to Baron P. and Kathleen “Kaye” Duncan Mayer. He grew up in Danvers, Massachusetts, where he was active in the Boy Scouts. He was graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in marine and electrical engineering from Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay in 1970 and was commissioned a Lieutenant J.G. in the U.S. Navy.
The day after graduation he was standing watch on an oil tanker headed to sea as an engineer for Texaco. He spent six years working as a marine engineer for various companies which took him to Africa, Central and South America, and the Caribbean Islands. He enjoyed working with people of all nationalities and backgrounds, yet he was always happy to return home.
Beginning in 1976, F.B. left the sea and accepted an engineering position with The Travelers in the Jackson, Mississippi, office. His nearly 40-year career as an engineer and boiler machinery expert in the commercial insurance industry took him and his family to homes in Shreveport, Louisiana; Hartford, Connecticut; and Charlotte, N.C. He thoroughly enjoyed consulting for businesses as diverse as Duke Energy and Goya.
A lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox and Duke Blue Devils, F.B. married an LSU alumna in 1978 and quickly became a passionate LSU Tigers fan. Following his retirement, he and his wife moved to Baton Rouge to attend games in Tiger Stadium and Alex Box. He also was an enthusiastic golfer and enjoyed sharing wings and drinks with his golf buddies at Sammy’s on Highland Road, which reminded him of the Cheers bar in Boston where everybody knows your name. F.B. always considered himself to be a sailor and enjoyed taking his pontoon boat, The Merry Alice, out on the Tchefuncte River in Madisonville.
F.B. is survived by his wife of 47 years, Judy Brundege Mayer and his daughters Dr. Christen Leigh Mayer of Madisonville, Louisiana, and Karen Elizabeth Woods of Charlotte, N.C. He is also survived by his sisters Nancy Mayer Nixon of Rocky Mount, N.C. and Marty Mayer of Middleburg, Florida, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his parents and brother, William Mayer, and sisters Ellen Mayer Roberson and Emily Mayer Ashburn.
In lieu of flowers, donations to honor F.B.’s memory may be made to Samaritan’s Purse to aid the people of the North Carolina mountains, which he dearly loved.
