Frederick Henry Koester

Frederick (Fred) Henry Koester Jr., of Fairfax, Virginia passed away suddenly at the age of 90 on November 28, 2022 surrounded by his family. He was born in Mount Vernon, New York to Frederick H. and Frances A. Koester. He lived in Pelham Manor, NY, and Egg Harbor, NJ. In 1955 he graduated from the US Naval Academy and was commissioned as an Ensign in the US Navy. Fred served on numerous destroyers and was executive officer of the USS Shields and next became captain of a destroyer based in Milwaukee Wisconsin where he met and married Eileen R. Bobb his loving and dedicated wife of 61 years. They moved to Monterey, CA where he completed Naval Postgraduate School. The family grew rapidly with Robert, JoAnne, John, and Thomas being born in the next five years. He eventually settled in Northern Virginia with a focus on intelligence and research and development also earning a MS degree from George Washington University. Fred retired from the Navy in 1975 as a Lieutenant Commander. He stayed in the Washington DC area working for various defense contractors (Booz-Allen & Hamilton, ManTech International, Raytheon Service). Later he transitioned to being a senior systems engineer (Titan) where he worked for the Federal Aviation Administration. As a child, Fred was a devoted brother to his younger sister Dorothy. He loved ships and trains, even putting pennies on the railroad tracks to watch the effect of passing trains. His greatest love was taking care of his family. He was the very example of a loving husband, attentive son, encouraging fully involved father, and proud grandfather. He attended his children’s and grandchildren’s various sport activities and was often the coach. He was a gentle spirit, with a life of serving and uplifting others. He was a devout Catholic and a member of St. Michaels in Annandale for over 50 years. He was a lover of history and was an avid reader. His multiple books could fill wings of a small library. Fred could speak on just about any topic with a keen intelligence and quick mischievous wit. Fred Koester is survived by his devoted wife Eileen R. Koester; children Robert Koester and his spouse Rebecca Abernathy, John Koester and his spouse Kristin Koester, and Thomas Koester; his sister Dorothy Benfield; and grandchildren; Daniel Koester, Jack Koester, Sylvia Koester, and Elly Koester. Fred will be missed by his faithful Maltese, Bailey. He was preceded in passing by his parents and daughter JoAnne Koester. A viewing will be held on Saturday December 10, 2022 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Demaine Funeral Home – Fairfax 10565 Main St, Fairfax, VA 22030 (703-385-1110). His family will be present to welcome loved ones. He will be interned at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.