Frederick Monsen Jr.

.Today is the end of an era! After hearing the news of our dad passing peacefully in his sleep, we walked into 5412 Bentley Way and walked into a treasure trove of history, trains, submarines, tools, antiques and who knows what else, we’re still finding stuff. He categorized and filed it all away like a timekeeper of history.

For starters, we walked into the formal dining room turned into a drafting table with a huge hand drawn submarine in which he was stationed on that looked like something from a naval shipyard, this was the Trumpet Fish submarine he was stationed on during the Korean War. Upon further digging, we started finding info on the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier. Turns out he was having a museum quality model built to donate. But donate to where, we don’t know and are still trying to figure this one out.

Fred was a hardy Swede, he worked as a Squaw Valley ski patroller in the days when they carried dynamite on their back and manually skied out avalanches. There was no mountain Fred couldn’t ski and many have commented that he was also the most elegant and graceful skier on the slopes.

When he lived in Tahoe he never passed up the opportunity to pick up a hitchhiker. Road nomads could always count on Fred for a ride, a meal and even a construction job. These travelers provided stories and adventures, and as we all know Fred knew everyone and could spin a tale with anyone. He knew every shopkeeper, restaurant owner and character in every town he lived in.

A true craftsman he could build anything; houses, fine furniture, tree houses for his grandchildren, you name it. Typical Fred, most of his masterly crafted furniture had a “secret” compartment. We know there are treasures in here we need to unearth, but of course we haven’t figured out most of them out yet.

Fred had a mind for numbers, just for fun, he was mathematically designing staircases that could only be done by an accomplished engineer or architect. He missed his calling as an engineer. He also had a photographic memory; facts were forever engrained in his encyclopedia-like brain. He read about history, submarine, ships, antiques, trains and was a walking encyclopedia of building specifications.

At 84, he still kicked all of our asses in dominos. You will be missed Fredrick Martin Monsen Jr.