Alfred A. Fisikelli

Alfred "Freddy" Anthony Fisikelli, passed away on Tuesday, September 24th, 2019 at the age of 90 surrounded by his beloved family. Freddy Fisikelli was born on April 26th, 1929 to Italian immigrants Salvatore and Mary Fisikelli in Miami, Florida. He was a dedicated man who was committed to his family, to his church, to his town and to the conservation of the Everglades. He was a tireless worker, not one to ever sit back and relax. If at home, he could always be found tinkering in his barn, if not, he was out hunting, fishing or helping out friends and neighbors with anything they might need.

As a young boy, Freddy experienced a Miami that many will never see. He began exploring the Everglades at age 10, riding trolleys and buses while carrying his rifle in order to go hunting in the glades with his best friend Ray Summerlin. These early experiences turned into a lifetime of exploring the Everglades, learning more about the Florida swamps and marshes than most. He built a variety of swamp buggies in his life, his earliest built out of parts from Model A Fords. He learned to navigate the glades and built a camp, first in Big Cypress, then later on another known as Ledbetter Camp. The knowledge he gained during this time led to his important contributions in the conservation of the Everglades. He helped found the Half-Track Conservation Club of Dade County in 1962 and would serve as its president for six consecutive years. During this time Freddy and friends noticed that many of the marshes weren't looking as healthy as they once did, and they had seen a sharp decline in the wildlife. Much of this was due to decisions being made based on agricultural interests by the South Florida Water Management District. And so, the fight began to try and make others see the value of "The River of Grass" and to try to preserve what he so dearly loved. Because of the time and effort he spent in this endeavor, The Florida Wildlife Federation and the National Wildlife Federation named Freddy the Conservationist of the Year in 1967 and again in 1994. Other accolades for his conservation efforts include the Land Conservationist of the Year Award in 1991 by Florida Wildlife and National Wildlife Federations, the Outstanding Conservationist Award in 1975 and 1976 from the Half-Track Conservation Club of Dade County, and the Outstanding Contributions to the cause of Waterfowl Conservation from the Ducks Unlimited Organization in 2000. He also received awards recognizing his support and contributions to the conservation and sportsmen of Florida in 1994 from the Airboat and Half-Track Club of Palm Beach County, an Appreciation Award in 1978 and 1979 for the views of the South Florida Sportsmen before legislature and other state agencies from the Half- Track Conservation Club of Dade County, the Ralph Johnson Memorial Award in March of 2014 from the South Florida Chapter of Safari Club International and in April of 2019 for maintaining Gladesman Culture from the Full-Track Conservation Club of Dade County.

Freddy attended Highland Park public school and Gesu Catholic School. He found several ways to gain income growing up including working at a dog racing facility where he walked the dogs to the starting gate and catching snakes to later sell to a man who used the venom to make a serum. It was while he was in high school that he met Sarah Jane Yeats, who he would later marry. He also befriended Jimmy Arias and Pete Gonzalez, who along with Ray, would become lifelong friends. He found his career job with Southern Bell Telephone Company (Bellsouth), initially as a cable splicer's helper in 1951. At the age of 21 years old he would marry the love of his life, Sarah, on July 8th,1950. They made their home in Miami, and Sarah would soon bless Freddy with three children; Mary (1951), Tony (1953), and Mike (1955). As his children grew, every weekend possible was spent camping around Florida, either in Marco Island, Everglades City or in the Florida keys. The friendships he had made in Ray, Pete and Jimmy continued through these trips where all the growing families would camp together in order to go fishing and duck hunting. During hunting season, the men, and later their sons and grandsons, would hunt together all over Florida as well as in Canada, Wyoming, Colorado and Iowa. In the early 1970's, he and Sarah began the annual tradition of taking their family to the Florida Keys for the annual lobster mini-season, in which family and close friends; the Comases, Railsbacks, Summerlins and Bondurants would join them every year. The tradition continues to this day with family members and friends still returning to the same RV Resort on Ohio Key.

In addition to their recreational life, the Fisikelli family also maintained a deep connection to their church. They were devoted members of their churches in Miami, Saint Mary's and Saint Vincent's Catholic Churches, and as the children got older Saint Kevin's Catholic Church.

Freddy's devotion to his family grew with Freddy's daughter Mary marrying Mick Maggert in Aug. of 1970. He then received a new title "Grandpa Freddy," as they welcomed two children; Melinda in 1975 and Michael in 1977. In 1975, Freddy and Sarah's oldest son Tony would marry Kitty and bless them with two more grandchildren; Kris in 1977 and Nick in 1981. Finally, their youngest son Mike would marry Becky in 1980 and further bless the family with two more grandchildren; Matthew in 1981 and Jonathan Carroll, "J.C." in 1984.

In 1965, Freddy and his friends purchased 40 acres in unincorporated Broward County, an area which would later become Southwest Ranches. Freddy later decided to build a home on 10 acres of this land and in 1981, after over 31 years in the industry, he retired from Bellsouth and moved to his new home. He and Sarah hoped to give their grandchildren the opportunity to have some of the same experiences they did as children; hunting, fishing, working with their hands, and in general enjoying the nature around them. After moving to the area, Freddy and Sarah both became members of the local church, St. Mark Catholic Church. Their dedication to their church was evident from then until the time of their deaths. Freddy became a member of the Men of Saint Mark and sat on the Board of Directors for many years. He took it upon himself to turn on the church fountains each Sunday and he and Sarah greeted worshipers at the early Sunday Mass. He could also be found at many of the church functions and fundraisers; from working behind the scenes of the food tent at the annual church carnival in March to working at the Christmas tree lot flocking trees or wrapping the trees in plastic.

Not one to settle quietly into retirement, he and Sarah kept cattle at their home and spent many hours each day working in their field. As time passed, he became concerned with the development around his home. Upon hearing of discussions of annexation of the land to the City of Pembroke Pines, he worked towards founding a new town. He hoped to preserve the rural lifestyle valued by the earliest homeowners of the area. In 2000, the town of Southwest Ranches was created, with 70 year-old Freddy elected as one of the first councilman. True to his nature, he actively participated in the construction of the first town hall, running the backhoe to prepare the site and helping in the construction of the building. Freddy would serve on the Southwest Ranches Town Council from 2000-2004 and then again from 2009 to 2019, retiring just weeks before his death. He was elected Vice Mayor a total of 5 times; 2002, 2003, 2011, 2015, and 2018. He and Sarah took pride in the work that he was doing, preserving the future for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He worked tirelessly on a host of issues to keep his town as they founded it. In recognition of his work, the Town of Southwest Ranches named April 8th, 2004, Vice Mayor Freddy Fisikelli Appreciation Day.

Freddy served on many committees throughout his life including but not limited to the Men of Saint Mark, South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, Everglades Coordinating Council, Ducks Unlimited, the Half-Track Conservation Club of Dade County, and Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Throughout his life, Freddy was a confident, yet incredibly humble man that truly loved his family and was respected and admired by those that knew him. He will always be the patriarch of the Fisikelli family as "Grandpa Freddy", and will be sorely missed by all that had the pleasure to know, work, or hunt alongside him.

Freddy is survived by his three (3) children, Mary (Mick) Maggert, Tony Fisikelli, and Mike (Becky) Fisikelli; six (6) grandchildren, Melinda (Jeff), Michael (Carrie), Kris (Allison), Nick (Beca), Matt (Courtney), and J.C.; eight (8) great-grandchildren, Hailey, Hannah, Michael, Ryan, Andrew, Amelie, Georgiana, and Lincoln; two (2) step- great-grandchildren, Jeremiah and Tyler; a special family friend, Kitty Fisikelli; and a half-sister, Nancy (Jim) Dodd. Freddy is proceeded in death by his loving wife of 68 years, Sarah Jane Fisikelli; his mother, Mary Fisikelli, his father, Salvatore Fisikelli; 3 sisters, Kitty, Grace, and Rita; and 1 half-brother; Kenny Kelli.

A memorial mass will be held on Saturday, October 26th at 2 pm at Saint Mark Catholic Church, 5601 South Flamingo Road, Southwest Ranches, FL. 33330. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Saint Mark Catholic Church.