Obituary: Frederick John Koenig

OUR FATHER WROTE THIS IN 1997 FOR HIS 50TH HIGH SCHOOL CLASS REUNION:

Born July 2, 1928. in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. Attended St. Agnes Catholic School for first grade.

Moved to Leonardo, New Jersey, Hosford Avenue. Attended Leonardo Grade School, 1935-1943. Went on to Leonardo High School, 1943-1947. Graduated and went on to graduate Newark Preparatory and Business College, 1947-1949.

Forced to enlist in the U.S. Navy and on to basic training at Great Lakes N.T.C. in Illinois. Attended Machinist Mate School 1949. Sent to 7th Fleet on West Coast and assigned to A-Division - Aircraft Carrier "Boxer" CVA21 and remained aboard for 36 months through the Korean War, 1949-1953. Discharged in 1953 at Treasure Island - San Francisco as a Machinist Mate 2nd Class.

Came home. Worked at Bendix Aviation in Red Bank, New Jersey, for six months while awaiting the hiring process of the Bell System. In 1953 joined N.J. Bell Telephone Co. as a lineman, moved on to installer then repairman.

Worked in Red Bank, Long Branch and Bell Labs in Holmdel. In 1955, I met my lovely wife, Annette, and married in 1955. Lived in Middletown, New Jersey, and had three children, Debbie, Diane and Jeff.

In 1968 accepted a permanent transfer to Southern Bell in Orlando, Florida, as a service tech, getting ready for Disney World, Lockheed Martin and the Space Coast. Spent 31 years with the Bell system and retired in 1984 at age 56.

In 1991, my son-in-law started a truck repair business, and that business has grown to three locations in the Greater Orlando area with a large number of well-known accounts in the trucking business.

So at age 69 and after triple bypass, I'm still going strong with my family and six grandchildren, all in the local area, enjoying life to the fullest and hoping for many more years.

AND SO WE PICK UP FROM THERE:

Our father continued to have a full life. He lost the love of his life, our mother, Annette, in 2005. He soldiered on surrounded by not only the six grandchildren he mentioned, but an additional nine great-grandchildren.

He was blessed to have lived the last three years with his son, watching football, baseball and the stock market (his second love!). He was a Mason and a Shriner, playing drums in the Shriner band. He was a wonderful father who worked hard to provide us with everything we ever needed growing up.

We will miss him terribly but know that one day we will be with our parents again.