Fred was born on January 29, 1929 in the area of midtown Manhattan known then, and still, as Hell’s Kitchen. He passed away on January 18, 2025, just eleven days shy of his 96th birthday. His parents were Rocco and Christina, who had emigrated from the village of Montagano in Italy to the United States in the early 1920’s. He was preceded in death by his parents, his three siblings Millie Hagan (Andrew), Mary Foley (Edward) and Ray (Maryann & Vickie), his first wife Victoria, his wife Jean and his step-grandson Brady.

Fred studied aeronautical engineering at Brooklyn Technical High School, graduating in 1945 at the age of 16. At 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he was sent to electronics school, ultimately becoming an instructor in an airborne electronic training school. This led him into his lifelong career in electrical engineering. After his Navy service, Fred started college at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute but moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in California for work before completing his degree. He ultimately received a BA in Mathematics from San Jose State College and an MS in Applied Mathematics from Santa Clara University, in the heart of what would soon after be known as Silicon Valley. Fred also sat for and passed the examination to become a Registered Professional Electrical Engineer in the state of California. He spent the last 26 years of his career at FMC Corporation, Ordnance Engineering Division, where he rose to become Chief Engineer, Technical Staff.

Fred married Victoria Laudi in New York City in 1955. They remained married until the late 1970s and shared a son, Vincent, and a daughter, Susan. In 1981, Fred married Jean Carlson, a marriage that lasted until her death in 2020. Fred is survived by his son Vincent (Vashta), daughter Susan King (Ed), grandson Thomas Caterina (Mansi). granddaughters Sandra Fash (James), Allison Holliday (Wes), Stephanie Cesaretti (Garrett) and Jenna King, great-grandchildren Aubrey and Vivian Fash, Eleanor and Everett Holliday, Hannah, Ryder, and Tucker Cesaretti, and Elizabeth Proopert Cesaretti. In addition, Fred is survived by Jean’s descendants (who he considered his second family) consisting of son James Carlson (Kelly), daughter Laurie Reiff (Steve) and their children Meaghan, Claire, Katie, Stephen and Anna.

Fred’s favorite pastimes were NY Times crosswords, which he started as a teenager; bridge, both party and duplicate, which he played regularly for over 45 years; and reading, mostly non-fiction on any of the wide range of topics he was interested in, particularly politics and history. He estimated having read over 2000 books in his lifetime.

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