- Date Of Birth: October 13, 1943
- Date Of Death: July 18, 2020
- State: Michigan
David R. Frederick died peacefully on July 18 in Kalamazoo, MI after a long illness. He was 76 years old. The majority of those years were shared with his beloved wife of 55 years, Janice (Bean), and later, their two children, two grandchildren, great-granddaughter and many friends. His fascination with the world often filtered through his love of tinkering with old engines and tractors, including showing his kids and grandkids how to take something old and keep it running.
He did just that when diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia at age 60, saying he could “live with it, or die from it.” For the next 16 years, he chose life and kept moving along. His life was framed by his fascination with the small but important details that make up the broader world. He worked 40 years at the Upjohn Company (later Pfizer) a blender in tablets dept, a process that transforms tiny particles into life-changing drugs.
His love of motorcycles and antique tractors filtered down to the nuts and bolts that held the machines together, including the motorcycles he and Janice would ride to rally or the tractors he would pull with the Millpond Antique Tractor Club in Blanchard, MI and the Scotts Olde Tyme Power and Equipment Assoc of Scotts, MI. Even sharing his love for animals began with pieces: He urged his grandkids to save their bits of food for the chickens next door. Whether with chickens or children, he wasn’t afraid to let his generosity and his humor overflow — his only warning to his grandkids: “Don’t tell gramma.”
Even then, he couldn’t hide his big heart. The love he poured into his family lives on in those who survive him: His wife Janice; his children, Pamela (Michael) Ringler, Garrett (Judi) Frederick; his grandchildren, Nicole Ringler (Matt Catchings), Andrew Ringler (Amanda Margraves); a great grand-daughter, Gracie Ringler; sister and brother, Joan Moses, Don (Wilda) Frederick; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Audrey (Bleckinger) Frederick and his brothers, Wayne, John “Jack”, Bobby Frederick and brother Stu Moses.
