ForeverMissed
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His Life

The Book of Life ends

February 19, 2014

Fred's final chapter was written in February of 2014. 

Another stroke in January left him weak and a series of infections in January and Febrary took their toll as well.

He died on Saturday, February 15 at about 1:00 pm.

His wife and three chidren said goodbye to him in a very private funeral in Clinton, Illinois on Monday February 17th.

It is said the job of a father is to make his family feel safe. If that is true, and I believe it is, then Fred succeeded beyond probably his own expectations.

He will be sorely missed by his family and all of his friends.

Rest in Peace Fred....until we all meet again.  

Retirement

February 19, 2014

Retirement for Fred meant helping Scott do whatever Scott needed to make his business grow, having a few sales and in the winter time, watching ball games, napping and visiting the kids when it was convenient for everyone. 

In 2006, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer and surgical intervention saved his life but he suffered a stroke. There was a little damage done from the stroke but he remained his same old self, his sense of humor (one of his greatest qualities next to his generosity) intact. 


As time went by, his age caught up with him as it catches up with everyone.

 

The Main Chapter of Fred's Life

February 19, 2014

Around 1972, Fred and Rosemary purchased a farm known as "the Baker place". It sat directly on IL 136, just down the road from the previous residence. Fred was proud as punch. The move (though only a mile or so down the road) meant a new school disctrict. Tom and Scott began Olympia High School and Marty entered McLean Elementary School. 

The move involved more land and more work.

In the summer, days were often dawn to well into the night, thanks to headlights on tractors. Planting was done in the spring and in the high summer, beans were walked (cleaned of weeds) and detasseling was done. Rosemary and the kids would pitch in driving tractors, walking beans, riding on detassling machines or whatever else needed done.

Fred also continued to grow his auction business and was a fairly well sought after auctioneer. He also continued on as owner of the McLean International Harvester dealership. 

There is not a lot to do around a farm and so Fred put in a swimming pool. The kids could dive in and cool off when the day was over. He remained VERY proud of that swimming pool until the day he retired and moved off of the farm).

Tom graduated and went onto college and Scott followed behind him. During the school year, the boys lived at the college but during the summer, they returned to help Fred on the farm.

During this time, Fred and the boys decided to learn to fly. They took lessons in Bloomington and all three were eventually awarded their pilots licenses. Soon after, Fred purchased an airplane and put in a grass landing strip next to the house. Another achievement for which he was very proud

Tom was then accepted into Harvard Law School and moved to Boston. He left the farm for good.  

Scott soon graduated from college and returned to help run the farm. Scott married and moved to a farmhouse not too far away. 

Tom graduated from Harvard and moved to Chicago to work as a corporate lawyer.

Eventually, Marty graduated and moved away to Arizona to attend college and soon, Rosemary began to work at the Illinois Power Company.

The dynamics of the farm and family life had changed but Fred continued to work just as hard as he ever had.

In 1999, Fred retired from farming and he and Rosemary purchased a house in Downs. Fred continued to do some auctions and assisted Scott with his farm and business needs. Retired certainly did not mean "lazy" in Fred's opinion. 

Let's Have Some Children

February 19, 2014

Fred returned to Rosemary and took back up the business of farming. His father in law, Homer Scogin, gave him some land to farm and Rosemary had saved up money from her time working while he was gone, and the couple bought a tractor. It was not much but it was something. He also helped his brothers and again, was willing to do anything anyone asked. 

Eventually the couple were able to farm for a local landowner and moved to a home on IL 136, in between McLean and Heyworth, Illinois. The house was old but was perfectly suitable for a couple who were about to start their family and thus, their first child, Thomas, was born in March 1956. 

Photos from this time show a new father, cradling his first born child with a look of extreme pride on his face.

Fred kept farming and Rosemary kept heart and hearth together and another baby, Scott, was born in October 1958.

The young family lived a rural life, with the cycles of nature and farming (planting, tending, harvesting etc) dictating their actions. Fred drove tractors and Tommy would ride with him when he was able to and when he was older, Scott would join them. In the winter, they rolled down a small hill the house was situated on and built snowmen in the yard.

In 1962, Fred and Rosemary decided Fred that Fred should try to fulfill his goal of becoming and auctioneer. He packed off to Mason City, Iowa and came back "a full fledged auctioneer" as the song says. 

In January of 1963, Marcheta (Marty) was born. Pictures show a 7 year old Tommy and a 5 year old Scott posing with a newborn in baby carrier. 

The family, was now complete.

The children attended Ben Funk school until Tom and Scott had both graduated from it. Tom had moved into high school in Heyworth.

Fred went into a parnership with a friend and purchased the International Harvester outlet in McLean. 

Things were lining up rather well and about this time, a new chapter was going to be written. 

Marriage and the Military

February 19, 2014

In September 1950, Fred married Rosemary Scogin in Wapella. Wedding pictures show a wedding party all smiles and a couple eager to start their new life. 

A few months after being married, Fred was drafted into the Korean war. The boy who rarely left home (he had traveled once with his brother to Texas...as far away as he had been at that point) was now going "somewhere". Fred and Rosemary enjoyed what time they had until he had to report for boot camp. 

When he was finally served notice, he reported to Camp Breckenridge for boot camp. From there, he was assigned to Germany.

Pictures from that time show a young, dark, good looking young man, posing in his uniform with his rifle or his wrecker (he drove a wrecker as his military job and LOVED that wrecker). He was often seen horsing around with his friends, Martin, Cummings or "Pineapple". He sent many pictures back home to his wife, her parents and his mother, brothers and sisters. His brother Duke and sister-in-law iona, sent pictures to him of them and their two boys, Jimmy and Billy. A suitcase from his time in the service still bears the tape marks where he had taped Rosemary's picture on the lid, as he travelled around Germany.

He was able to see much of the county and a few pictures show that being there in 1951, only 6 years after the end of WW2, was rather extroidinary. Germany was FAR from being rebuilt and all around him were the signs of the war his brother Eddie had fought in.

Eventually, in 1953, he was given and honorable discharge and sent home.

Now was the time for life to really begin. 

Transition

February 19, 2014

Fred worked for various farmers in the Wapella area after graduation. He was a hard worker and was willing to do whatever anyone needed. He also helped his brothers, many of whom had farms of their own. 

He continued to date a pretty young woman in the area, Rosemary Scogin. He often did things with the Scogin family and would play with Rosemary's younger sister Judy when he came by. Pictures from that time show a striking young couple, often posed with a cute as buttons, Judy nearby.

 

Childhood

February 19, 2014

Fred grew into a mischievious boy in the Wapella Illinois area. He attended school and swam in the local ponds and streams with other boys. His mother took in laundry to support herself and her children, several of which were grown and married by the time Freddie reached the age to attend school. 

He told the story of when he was about 6, he was sent to collect eggs from the hen house and was annoyed (as all little boys would be), at having to do a chore. In his childish exasperation he picked up a stone and hurled it at the hen, knocking the bird out cold. In pure terror (as only a 6 year old can know), he picked up the children and carried her to her roost, hoping everyone would think she died sitting there. He then trudged off to school. After school he timidly checked on the hen before he entered the house (to see how much trouble he might be in) and to his great surprise (and relief), he saw the old hen sitting comfortably on the hay, eyes wide open. He said "You can't believe how relieved I was to see that". 

He attended high school at Wapella High School and enjoyed playiing basketball. He was not one for studying or even reading much so he considered dropping out but his basketball coach convinced him to stay in school. He did, acting in plays and striking up life long friendships....and finally graduated in 1947.  

Birth

February 19, 2014

Fred was born on Tuesday, March 5, 1929 (20 days before a mini-stock market crash that preceeded the larger crash of October of that year). He was the youngest of 10 children. His brothers and sisters...Ann, Elwin (Buster), Francis, James (Skinner), Edward (Eddieboy), Margaret, Paul (Bag), Vincient (Duke) and Ella Marie. Fred was called Duck because he followed them along like a duckling. The normalcy of childhood slipped away a few days before his 4th birthday, when his father passed away. His mother, uneducated and with no skills, was left to take care of herself and her children and she set out with resolve to do so.