Robert J. Fredericks, Jr.'s Obituary
Robert “Bob” Joseph Fredericks, Jr., of North Syracuse, passed away on Friday, January 30, 2015 after a prolonged illness. He was born in “Hell’s Kitchen”, Manhattan, NYC 91 years ago and was raised in Queens, Long Island. Bob attended The Cooper Union in NYC before
volunteering to join the Army in 1942 to become a pilot and received his wings in March
of ’44. He married Edna, the “love of his life”. They were married for 59 years and she
predeceased him in 2003. After completing operational training, he flew 34 combat
missions with the 15th Air Force, headquartered in Foggia, Italy. He was the pilot of a
B-17 bomber in the 2nd Bomb Group, 429th Squadron, achieving the rank of Captain as
a squadron commander. He was discharged from the Army Air Corps in 1946 and
continued his education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 1948. While
at RPI, he was elected to Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Phi, engineering honorary
societies. He lived in Rutherford, NJ as an engineer for Western Electric and National
Union Radio before moving to Syracuse, NY with his wife and three children in 1952 to
work for General Electric. He spent 37 great years with GE while living in North Syracuse.
His experience included: design engineering on radar and sonar display equipment; engineering
management; and program management assignments. Bob was a member of the
Optimist Club for about 20 years and was a member of Lake Shore Yacht and CC until
his death. He enjoyed playing golf with his friends and served on Lakeshore’s board of directors. He also enjoyed bowling in a GE league, and he and Edna belonged to a couples league at Bowling Green in North Syracuse for several years. After retiring from GE, Edna and Bob enjoyed traveling to Florida and abroad. The most memorable trips were accompanied by their grandchildren to Canada, Disney World, New York City, Alaska and Europe.
Bob is survived by his children, Robert Joseph III (Gina) of Manlius, Diane (William
Watson) of Mont Vernon, NH, and Donald (Lynn) of Syracuse; grandchildren, Megan
Fredericks Dubofsky (Matthew) of Boulder, CO, Erica Fredericks of Washington D.C.,
Emily Watson of NY, NY and Robert J. Fredericks IV of Manlius, great-grandchildren, Nicholas and Annabel Dubofsk; his two sisters, Margaret Scharfenberger and Elizabeth Williams reside in Weston, Florida.
Funeral services will be held at 9:00 am on Friday, February 6, 2015 at the THOMAS J. PIRRO JR. FUNERAL HOME, followed by a Funeral Mass in celebration of Bob’s life at 10:00 am in St. Rose of Lima Church. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Dewitt. Calling hours for family and friends will be held on Thursday February 5, 2015 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at the funeral home, 3401 Vickery Rd. (corner of Buckley Rd.) North Syracuse, NY.
Contributions may be made to Hospice of CNY, 990 Seventh North St., Liverpool, NY
13088.
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