Fred Perez

Fred Perez of La Verne, Ca. died on February 18th from complications of pneumonia and flu. Born “Alfredo” on July 22, 1948 in El Paso Texas, “Freddie” to his parents and siblings, he moved to La Puente as a child and made California his life and legacy.

As a teenager, Fred was already an accomplished athlete. He hiked Mt. Whitney with friends and regularly surfed in the early 1960s. Upon graduating from high school, Fred enlisted in the US Navy with hopes of serving in Vietnam.

The Navy had other plans, training him as a quartermaster where Fred was second in his class, before having him serve in Taiwan in a variety of roles including as a diplomatic courier and running the R&R center for troops coming in and out of Combat. It was during these years that Fred learned to cook Chinese food, a lifelong passion of his.

After the Navy, Fred became a respiratory therapist, a career that would last over 40 years. It was during these early years of his career that he met his first wife, Joan (neé Conejo) while working at Foothill Presbyterian to whom he would be married for nearly 14 years. In 2004, Fred found new love and married again. Kathy (neé Whitlock) to whom Fred remained married until his death.

Throughout his life Fred was a lover of the arts, the outdoors, and physical activities. Well into retirement, he was a regular golfer, and he remained a dedicated angler from his youth throughout his life, whether on deep sea charter boats, trout fly trips, and even afternoons with his kids at a local lake. Much to the chagrin of both his wives, Fred amassed a large home movie collection.

Fred is survived by his wife Kathy and her children Jennifer Crouse and Steve Crouse; his sisters Margie Laird and Theresa Teesdale; his first wife Joan and their children, Rosanne (Kurtis) and Luke (Lucia), as well as his grandchildren Maranda, Malynda, and Makayla, and Ignacio, Santiago, and Gabriela. He joins in eternal rest, his parents Charlie and Connie, his brother Robert, and his grandson, Francisco Alfredo.