Fritz Maarten Rathjens

He was born on June 13, 1959, in Tacoma Park, MD to Jean Gillispie Rathjens and the late Fritz Maarten Rathjens, Sr.

As a teen, Fritz (better known as "Fritzie" or "Fritty" to most) enjoyed Boy Scouts (even earning a Medal of Merit for Gunmanship) and trips to Idaho, where he worked as a Fire Lookout for the Forestry Service.

Fritzie graduated from Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring, MD, and Washington State University in Pullman, WA with a degree in History. He thought that if his career in the Vegas casinos didn't pan out, he could always teach history. Needless to say, he never taught a day in his life.

He loved adventures. Whether it be going to Costa Rica with his late wife (where all their luggage was stolen, including their Passports), or driving across the country multiple times a year to see his mom and sister. For his senior trip in high school, he went with his class to Soviet Russia--where he sold a lot of his clothes (including the shirt off his back and the jeans off his legs) on the streets so he could have extra room to bring home more cool things.

But his greatest and most-loved adventure was being PopPop to Jessica and Eric. Every summer (and many random weekends the rest of the year), they would take off in his car for two weeks of adventures with no rules. They sang made-up songs about dingoes, see who could scream the loudest (Jessica!!!!!!), learn all about how one was born with a tail and the other with webbed feet, and hit every playground, waterpark, race track, amusement park, and weird place they could find.

Fritz and his son, Alex, shared a deep love of music and concerts. When Alex was a teen, they would spend every summer traveling the country,going to as many punk rock festivals and concerts as they could find. The last concert they shared was three days before Fritzie passed away. A punk rocker to the end!

Fritzie would do anything for his family. When his sister had to move, he drove from NV to KY to help her. His constant generosity towards his family (and their stray cats) always went above and beyond.

Fritz was preceded in death by his father, Fritz Rathjens, Sr.; his brother, John David Rathjens; an infant daughter, Jessica Lee Rathjens; his wife, Mary Rathjens; his maternal grandparents, John and Mildred Gillispie; and his paternal grandparents, Wilhelm Fritz and Clara Rathjens.

He is survived by his son, Alexander Maarten Rathjens (Danielle) of Henderson, NV; grandchildren Jessica Ann Rathjens and Eric Maarten Rathjens, of Henderson, NV; his mother, Jean Rathjens, of Campbellsville, KY, his sister, Jennifer Rathjens, of Campbellsville, KY; the mother of his children, Susan Bledsoe of Hurricane, UT; and a host of other relatives and friends.