Arthur J. Frederick

Arthur J. Frederick, age 94 of Trenton, MI. Loving husband of the late Mary Frederick. Beloved dad of Arthur (Laurie) Frederick Jr., Mary (Joseph) Hoshaw, Patricia Frederick and Lawrence Frederick. Proud grandpa of Andrea (Michael), Eric (Scot), Alyssa, Ryan and great grandpa of Amara, Ashton and Avery. He also leaves behind many loving nieces and nephews Arthur was the third-youngest and last living member of a family of 12 children. His parents, Rudolpho and Elizabeth, both emigrated separately from Italy and met in central Pennsylvania, where many Italian immigrants landed in the early 20th Century seeking gainful employment as coal miners. Born in 1927, my father-in-law had a very interesting upbringing and a wonderful perspective on life. He was incredibly kind and had great compassion for people and pets. Maybe more so for pets — especially those that may have been abused or neglected. He served in the Army in reconstruction-era Germany in the early 1950s. Upon receiving his honorable discharge and returning home, he followed some of his siblings to the Detroit area in search of better employment opportunities. In 1954, he married Mary Loretta Peck, and about two years later they settled in a home in Trenton — where he would spend the remaining 66 of his total 94 years of life. . Arthur proudly served his country in the United States Army. He was a long time member of the Remote Control Airplane Community. He and Mary, who died in 2008, had four children — Arthur Gerald, Mary Beth, Patricia Ann and Lawrence Anthony — who grew up in a busy north Trenton neighborhood surrounded by an abundance of other large families. He was a great Dad and also a wonderful grandfather to Andrea and Alyssa and Eric and Ryan. He has three great-grandchildren as well: Amara, Ashton and Avery. “Papa Fred” retired from Trenton Public Schools nearly 30 years ago, and has been anything but idle since. He was a consummate “tinkerer” who could fix just about anything with a motor or an engine. I lost count of how many electric pencil sharpeners and other small appliances he revived for my wife through the years. When his kids were younger he spent a lot of time helping them build gas-powered go-carts in the garage. But his talents were most evident in the hobby that was his lifelong passion — building and flying radio-controlled model airplanes. When “Where’s Dad?” or “Where’s Papa” was the question, the answer was often “In the basement working on his plane,” or “At the flying field.” His flying buddies were like his second family. And the flying machines he built were a combination of amazing replicas of real planes and his own creative designs. They were far more that just model planes. They were virtual pieces of art. There were occasional crashes, and those were all heartbreaking events. I suspect that if he had his choice of careers he would have been an airplane mechanic, or maybe even a pilot. He would have been a great one. In one way, at least, he was. Our fond memories of him will make our hearts soar for years to come. Memorial contributions in honor of Arthur may be made to the Trenton / Woodhaven Animal Shelter.