Fred E. Bartholomew, Jr.

Fred E. Bartholomew Jr. was born on March 1st, 1923. He was the 4th born of 5 children of Fred E. Bartholomew Sr. and Sophie Hohmann. Of his siblings, Mary, Jacob (JT), Glen Willard and Harvey, he is survived by his brother Harvey, sister-in-law Peggy, his beloved son B. Glenn (Bart) Bartholomew, daughter-in-law Ginny and numerous nieces and nephews.

As with all of all his siblings, he was part of what is known as the Greatest Generation.

After graduating from Harlandale high school in 1941, Fred entered the Army during World War II. He became a paratrooper and served in the Pacific Theater with the 11th Airborne known as the Angels. During this time, he and 169 other paratroopers along with 75 Filipino guerrillas participated in the Los Banos Raid in the Philippines, rescuing 2147 prisoners and internees. The 11th Airborne was a forerunner to today’s special operations and is considered the most successful airborne operation in history and is still taught at America’s military academies and war colleges. At the end of World War II, he, along with the 11th Airborne Division, were the first Allied Troops to enter and occupy Japan.

At the end of World War II, he was discharged and reentered civilian life where he met and married Anna Lou Moreton on the 14th of June 1947. Their marriage produced one son but was not meant to last.

Fred then reenlisted into the military but this time into the Navy. He said at that time he never wanted to sleep on the ground again! He retired from the Navy on the 15th of March 1967 and returned to his hometown of San Antonio. During his time in military service, he was awarded:

American Campaign Medal Army Occupation Medal of WWII with Japan clasp Philippines Liberation Ribbon Parachute Badge Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Good Conduct Medal-4 awards National Defense Medal – 2 awards Navy Occupation Service Medal with European clasp

No one who knew Fred, including his family, can believe that he received any Good Conduct medals, let alone four. Fred would say he had never lost his temper because he still had it.

While serving in the Navy, Fred then married Delma Dee Maxwell. She would pass the 13th of April 1978. Fred then married Mary Sue Bower. Together they owned a local bar establishment known as The Hiccup. She would pass the 17th of June 2001. Fred chose to try marriage once again and married Dolores C. Plain. She would pass on the 4th of March 2011.

Fred gave up on marriage after that and just dated.

Fred voluntarily gave up his driver’s license in 2015 at the age of 94. He was still using Dolores’s expired handicap placard to park up closer wherever he went. When he finally gave up his license, he then said that everyone should give up their driver’s license at the age of 85.

After Fred’s military retirement, he continued to work in San Antonio. His profession was in construction and helped work on the HemisFair in 1968. He was involved in the construction of many of the buildings throughout the San Antonio community over the next 21 years. His last building project was work at the new USSA facility in 1976. He worked his way up to superintendent and finally ended his career as a construction inspector. During this period, he became president of the local carpenters union. His last inspector responsibility was overseeing the completion of the Bexar County jail in 1988.

Over the years, he never lost his love for the outdoors, and fishing and hunting. Even into their 80’s, he and his brothers would return to their childhood fishing hole on the Medina River near Castroville, Texas.

For such a colorful guy who generally saw things in black and white there was a lot of gray.

The family has requested no floral arrangements.