Frederick Daniel Wilson

The final chapter of Fred's long and storied life reached its conclusion on January 10, 2020 in Longmont. Fred was born February 5, 1945 to Irene Gasler Wilson and Frederick Daniel Wilson, Sr. in Patterson, New Jersey. He was a mischievous and treasured only child whose early years were spent playing in the brook next to his house and going to his family's cabin on the Delaware river. He graduated from Hawthorne High School in 1962, then followed his first cousin, Shirley, to CU Boulder.He met the love of his life, MaryAnn, at The Sink shortly after arriving in Boulder. They were married on April 15, 1967.Upon graduating from CU, Fred joined the Navy on the advice of a recruiter who told him that becoming a Navy pilot was the first step toward becoming an astronaut and visiting the moon. To our knowledge, Fred has not been to the moon. He did, however, spend four years landing airplanes on aircraft carriers and protecting the East coast, after which he and MaryAnn returned to the Boulder area, making their home in Longmont in 1972. Fred was never one to get into a rut, moving fluidly from career to career for many years with stints at Head skis, Radio Shack, Western Foundries, and StorageTek. Fred was also mayor of Longmont for four years, and he served on the Longmont City Council for 13 years. His proudest accomplishment as mayor was making Union Reservoir available to the public as a no-wake lake. His passions were wide and plenty. He was a master woodworker, an avid windsurfer, a devoted cyclist, a talented homebrewer, an inventor, a writer, an artist¦and the list g s on. But above all else, Fred loved MaryAnn and their two children, Dan and Leah. Fred is survived by his wife of 52 years, MaryAnn; son Dan and his wife, Irina, of Boulder; daughter Leah Valentine and her husband Rob, of Firestone; and five grandchildren: Paloma, Sadie and Dimitri Wilson (born 1/14/2020), and Wilson and Anna Valentine. He also leaves behind many cousins, including the aforementioned Shirley, who was like a sister to him, as well as too many friends to count. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Boulder Humane Society. A memorial service is planned for 2pm, February 5, 2020 at Grace Evangelical Free Church in Longmont.