- Date Of Death: March 16, 2021
- State: Indiana
Fred Douglas Page Sr.
was born June 24, 1925 to Phillip Peterson Page and Azzie Lee Bishop Page in Bainbridge, Georgia.
Fred was lovingly called Sonny when they moved to Winnfield, LA but his young mother died when he was two years old. He was raised by a wonderful step-mother and his WWI-tailor, minister father. His grandmother, Phillis Swafford Page, a washer woman and missionary, helped. Fred took an interest in art and began drawing and painting at a very young age. He was a child prodigy that used old discarded advertisement boards as his canvas. He used water colors to paint Pres. Roosevelt and it was placed in the window of the Winnfield bank. He did a painting of the Huey P. Long Dam and Earl Long had him to paint campaign posters for him. An educator even asked him to conduct a demonstration of drawing a young lady at a trade school for white students. Sonny was so talented that some white man asked to adopt him to expose his talent but of course, Rev. Page said no. His artwork was recognized by a local pastor and he was recruited to draw a picture of an elaborate mansion that belonged to T.L. James, a highly regarded industrialists and businessman in the south.
Fred was a WWII veteran that served in the US Navy from September 1943-1946. He was assigned as a cook and petty officer. He was part of the invasion of France. He remembered sailing the Mediterranean Sea and seeing Mount Vesuvius. He saw sights he never would have seen in his life.
Fred ended up on a minesweeper, the USS Effective AM92 that was reclassified as the US Sub Chaser PC 1596. Officer James McKay and his crew traveled through the Bermuda Triangle. They were blessed to survive what some call ‘The Perfect Storm’ when many sister ships were lost at sea. They were in route through the Panama Canal to be part of the invasion of Japan when President Truman dropped the atomic bomb before they got there. Their ship redirected and went to California.
Instead, of re-enlisting in the military, Fred became a civilian again. He started out shining shoes but was trusted to take the owner’s money to the bank. Then he worked for West Baking Company. Later, he married Susie Luella Crump in 1950. From this union, Phyllis and Frederick Jr. were born.
As a veteran with benefits, he later enrolled in the nation’s first self-help program to build a Flanner House Home close to the downtown Indy area for his young family in 1956. This program allowed African American veterans to obtain the American Dream. A $300 ‘good faith deposit’ was required from every family. The men had to be in great physical condition, have good credit standing, make a minimum income of $3,800 annually, and work a minimum of 20 hours a week on their homes using sweat equity. Upon completion of Fred’s home, the Page family was featured on the marketing pamphlets for the Flanner House Homes. The Flanner House Homes were recognized as a historic landmark on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
In 2004, Fred received the key to the city of Winnfield, LA for his artwork. One of his pieces was placed in the Winnfield Museum.
Fred later worked for the Post Office until he retired. He was displayed in the 2015 Indiana State Museum Exhibition of Heroes from the Heartland and had the privilege of participating in the Honors Flight for Veterans in April 2016. He stayed in the home he worked so hard to build and raise his family.
For I am ready to be offered, and the time of departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
II Timothy 4:6-7
Fred made his heavenly journey on March 16, 2021 at 10:20 A.M. at University Hospital.
Fred D. Page Sr.
Fred Douglas Page Sr. is survived by his daughter, Phyllis P.M. Dowe; son, Frederick Jr.; grandchildren, Ronald Miller, Na Shayne Miller (Houston, TX), Ryan Page Sr., Nikita Page, Paige Dowe; and five great grandchildren; along with a host of relatives and friends.
