FRED GABOS - A RICH LIFE STORY
September 4, 2020
by Joan Gabos
Fred was born Ferdinando Gabos on December 31, 1932. He was a sweet and spirited child, though not the "spirit" most valued by the nuns at Saint Ambrose Elementary School. His parents valued education and demanded that he take his schooling seriously. On one occasion when his mother was called in to school to discuss his grades, which were 50% across all subjects, she said, "What is this? Nobody can be that bad in EVERY subject. He has to be good at something!" This was Freddie's saving grace. His mother always believed in him. As did his older brother Mario, to whom he looked up to and admired, in spite of always being in his shadow.
Freddie was a good brother to his sisters, as well, even though he did spend a fair amount of energy tormenting his sister Eleanor. ;)
In his spare time he loved to take things apart to figure out how they worked. He would do this with whatever he could get his hands on (radios, valves, locks, etc.). An obvious precursor to his career path.
Freddie transitioned from his Catholic primary school to East New York Technical High School in ninth grade, where he majored in electricity. He found the course work there to be much more suited to his interests and did well in high school. He was even voted "Most Popular" in his graduating class.
Fred went on to attend City University of NY and earned an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. That was all he needed to land his first (and last) job at the General Electric Company as a Design Engineer in the Large Motor and Generator Department in Schenectady, NY. Eventually Fred transitioned to Sales and Marketing, where he spent the rest of his career.
Fred was a hard worker and very successful in his career at GE, but he found his passion was really in the stock market. He was a prolific reader of business journals and spent many weekends doing research at home or the local library. His ability to analyze and successfully navigate the tricky and volatile markets was truly his forte. He would share his knowledge with anyone who asked. They just needed to have a lot of time set aside to listen to the answer.
GE had more to offer than just a job. It also had a sweet sounding phone operator who caught his ear. That Long Distance Switchboard Operator was Joan E. Carlow. After dating about a year they were married on June 10, 1961.
The couple purchased their first home at 352 Ridge Road and their family followed shortly thereafter. In 1962 Fred and Joan were blessed with twins, F. Douglas and Deborah, followed by Christine Marie in 1964 and Linnette Louise in 1968, to whom they passed along their shared values in God, family, heritage and education.
Fred and Joan had a strong reverence for God and belief in the Catholic religion. They were always present for their children, from nurturing their creativity to supporting their individual interests and building their self-esteem. Both instilled a love of the outdoors and infused fun with family togetherness.
Fred and Joan always instilled the importance of family, from their immediate family to the extended relatives. There were summer visits and vacations with cousins as well as the annual trips to New York City every Thanksgiving and Easter to visit grandparents, aunts/uncles and cousins. Fred had significant pride in his Italian heritage. He loved passing along stories of his family history and conversing in Italian with his parents during those visits.
Finally, Fred and Joan both emphasized the values of responsibility, hard work and a good education. Although fun loving, Fred expected the best effort from his children... and it paid off. All of their children went to college, with Doug and Deb earning Masters degrees. Doug had a decorated career in the Navy, Deb and Linn followed in their father's footsteps with careers in Sales/Marketing and Chrissie found her passion as an advocate for children with special needs.
Fred and Joan moved to Robinson Road in 1982 and then to Summerfield, FL in 2008. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2011. They have nine grandchildren: David, Melissa, Tyler, Teegan, Keith, Macey, Kelsey, Colby and Evelyn.
Freddie was a good brother to his sisters, as well, even though he did spend a fair amount of energy tormenting his sister Eleanor. ;)
In his spare time he loved to take things apart to figure out how they worked. He would do this with whatever he could get his hands on (radios, valves, locks, etc.). An obvious precursor to his career path.
Freddie transitioned from his Catholic primary school to East New York Technical High School in ninth grade, where he majored in electricity. He found the course work there to be much more suited to his interests and did well in high school. He was even voted "Most Popular" in his graduating class.
Fred went on to attend City University of NY and earned an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. That was all he needed to land his first (and last) job at the General Electric Company as a Design Engineer in the Large Motor and Generator Department in Schenectady, NY. Eventually Fred transitioned to Sales and Marketing, where he spent the rest of his career.
Fred was a hard worker and very successful in his career at GE, but he found his passion was really in the stock market. He was a prolific reader of business journals and spent many weekends doing research at home or the local library. His ability to analyze and successfully navigate the tricky and volatile markets was truly his forte. He would share his knowledge with anyone who asked. They just needed to have a lot of time set aside to listen to the answer.
GE had more to offer than just a job. It also had a sweet sounding phone operator who caught his ear. That Long Distance Switchboard Operator was Joan E. Carlow. After dating about a year they were married on June 10, 1961.
The couple purchased their first home at 352 Ridge Road and their family followed shortly thereafter. In 1962 Fred and Joan were blessed with twins, F. Douglas and Deborah, followed by Christine Marie in 1964 and Linnette Louise in 1968, to whom they passed along their shared values in God, family, heritage and education.
Fred and Joan had a strong reverence for God and belief in the Catholic religion. They were always present for their children, from nurturing their creativity to supporting their individual interests and building their self-esteem. Both instilled a love of the outdoors and infused fun with family togetherness.
Fred and Joan always instilled the importance of family, from their immediate family to the extended relatives. There were summer visits and vacations with cousins as well as the annual trips to New York City every Thanksgiving and Easter to visit grandparents, aunts/uncles and cousins. Fred had significant pride in his Italian heritage. He loved passing along stories of his family history and conversing in Italian with his parents during those visits.
Finally, Fred and Joan both emphasized the values of responsibility, hard work and a good education. Although fun loving, Fred expected the best effort from his children... and it paid off. All of their children went to college, with Doug and Deb earning Masters degrees. Doug had a decorated career in the Navy, Deb and Linn followed in their father's footsteps with careers in Sales/Marketing and Chrissie found her passion as an advocate for children with special needs.
Fred and Joan moved to Robinson Road in 1982 and then to Summerfield, FL in 2008. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2011. They have nine grandchildren: David, Melissa, Tyler, Teegan, Keith, Macey, Kelsey, Colby and Evelyn.