Frederick Charles Lonke

Frederick Charles Lonke of Plymouth, age 84, died peacefully Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012, at the Golden Living Center in Plymouth. He was born in Long Island, New York, and in 1970, he and his family moved to Massachusetts.

Fred had a love of the sea. He was a graduate of the Maritime College at Fort Schuyler. He then went to U.S.N.R.Salvage School in Bayonne, NJ and was assigned to the Escape, a salvage ship ARS-6. Fred was commissioned as Ensign U.S.N.R. and served as the operation, diving, communication, and salvage officer. His ship was active in the Atlantic.

After leaving the Navy, Fred became a safety engineer with Aetna Life and Casualty until he retired. He was a Professional Member Emeritus in the American Society of Safety Engineers.

He was a volunteer in the marine department at Plimoth Plantation and was a member of the crew when the Mayflower II sailed to Provincetown, dressed in full period costume.

Fred’s interests included boating, fishing, making boat models, and reading non-fiction stories of the sea. He also enjoyed making charcoal sketches. One of his happiest memories was to go to his Fort Schuyler College reunions. There he would share memories with old friends.

Fred is survived by his beloved wife, Ruth (Thiele) and three daughters; Martha Palmer and her husband Charles of Plymouth, Elizabeth Kosinski of California, and Dru McCarthy of Oregon, as well as four grandchildren; Caitlyn Palmer, Chris and Sean Kosinski, and Jason McCarthy, and two great-grandchildren; Madison and Carter McCarthy.

A memorial service will be held at the United Church of Christ, 460 Main Street, Norwell on Thursday, Dec. 6 at 11:00 am. Burial with military honors will be at 1 pm on Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Parkinson Disease Association, 72 East Concord Street, C3, Boston, MA 02118.