Frederick Hodson Erwin

Born in Houston, Texas, he was the eldest child of Martha and Jim Erwin Jr. He attended River Oaks Elementary School, Lanier Junior High, Lamar High School, Southwestern University, and the University of Texas. After school, Fred moved to Denver and created a lifelong friendship with the David Dorn family. He returned to Houston to work for his father and to take care of his uncle, Raymond Kenley.

Fred grew up loving gardening and animals. As a child he raised chickens and roosters in his backyard and kept an incubator in his room at home where he successfully helped birth pet doves that lived in his backyard treehouse. He once asked his busy mother doing the dishes if he could grow corn and she responded with a nonchalant, “sure.” His corn grew to 5 feet tall along the driveway, which surprised his mother when she one day glanced out her kitchen window and saw the tall stalks of corn. Fred also had a greenhouse where he grew flowers. His favorite and most magnificent were his orchids. Fred’s love of gardening led him to help create the Erwin Courtyard at the Oakdale Methodist Church in Oakdale, Louisiana, his father’s home town. Fred was also a gifted piano player and a talented amateur architect.

Fred was very loyal to his closest friends, and he remained in touch with them over decades His dearest, lifelong friend was Jack Blanton who visited Fred regularly until the very end. Jack even found a way to sneak Fred off his assisted living campus for a Chinese food lunch and an Astros game. Fred particularly enjoyed the Christmas visits from his cousins, Susan, Jane, and Anne. Fred’s other treasured friends and closest companions were his dogs over the years. He loved his east coast labradors, Clayton and Mason. Mason is being cared for and thriving today in Pennsylvania thanks to a dear friend of his sister, Molly.

Fred is survived by his three sisters Marguerite Erwin McHard, Eliza Erwin Stedman, and Molly Erwin Walton. He’s the uncle to numerous nephews and nieces. The family would like to thank Aishah Stanford and her caregivers from HeartKeepers Senior Home Care for making the end of his life peaceful and comfortable. There will be a family graveside memorial service on February 16 at 11:00am at 13001 Katy Freeway.

In lieu of customary remembrances the family asks that you donate to the charity of your choice or to University of Texas Beautification Council (https://giving.utexas.edu/ut-beautification-council/ ) because Fred was proud of his sister‘s efforts to beautify the UT campus.