Fred was born on December 20, 1925 in Nuremberg, Germany. At the age of 17 he was drafted into Hitler’s army in World War II. As a sharpshooter, Fred personally witnessed the horrors of war which made an indelible imprint on him to the day he died. After the war, he sought to find answers to the meaning of life and enrolled in university where he studied psychology, sociology, and religion, earning a degree in psychology.
Fred eventually emigrated to the United States where he continued his studies and received training at IBM in computer programming in Milwaukee, WI. He received his US citizenship in 1957. He met the love of his life, Ingeborg who had escaped communist East Germany, and it was there in Racine, WI that they married in 1958 and started their family.
In the meantime, Fred’s burning desire for answers to the big questions in life caused him study the Bible. He found his answers there in the truth of God’s Word and got baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1964. He was appointed an elder in 1976 and loyally served as a loving shepherd until he died. Upon his retirement in 1987 as Manager of Information Systems at Twin Disc Inc., Fred & Inga moved to the little congregation in Oneida, TN to minister to the people of Scott & McCreary counties. His greatest joy was the ministry; he shared the Word with everyone he met. As his health began to deteriorate, Fred & Inga moved to Clinton, TN to be closer to family. There they were beloved members of the the Oak Ridge congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. All who met him remember Fred as a zealous and loving example of faith, a Papa and Opa (grandfather) to everyone.
Fred was generous and extremely hospitable, loving nothing better than to see his family and friends enjoy themselves. Orderliness, cleanliness, and punctuality were his hallmark but it was not beyond him to indulge in silliness from time to time. Fred was quite adventurous and traveled extensively, taking his family throughout the continent and across the ocean. Music was his lifelong passion and he had artistic talent in drawing and whittling. He delighted in sunshine, the outdoors, and all creation, always teaching his daughters to see Jehovah God’s qualities in His wondrous works.
Fred was preceded in death by his youngest daughter Angela, and longed to see her again at her resurrection in paradise. He is survived by multitudes of friends and his adoring family: wife Ingeborg; daughters Heidi (Gordon) Fritch, and Kristina Bauer; grandchildren Erika (Allen) Sherry, Max (Sarah) Petersen, Nadia Trochelmann, and Alex Trochelmann; and great-grandchildren Jack, Pierce, and Jade.
There are no words to express our deep gratitude to the caring staff of Amedisys Hospice who tirelessly attended to Fred and supported our family, especially Leslie, Juliana, and Chad who were there with us at the end. God bless you all.
Fred has fought the fine fight, run the race to the finish, and observed the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7). He now rests in Jehovah God’s memory, the safest place he can be. Auf wiedersehen!
Fred’s wishes are that donations be made at jw.org.
Funeral services will be held via Zoom on Saturday June 4 at 2:00 PM Eastern time. No in-person service will be held due to Covid concerns. Please contact the family or Oak Ridge congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses for tie-in information.
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