Frederick George Gatesman Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Frederick G. Gatesman passed away on June 16, 2022 at the age of 83, in Clearwater, Florida. Fred's sense of humor, personal convictions, intelligence, commitment to wife, family and friends will be missed by everyone who shared in his life. As Fred battled an acute lung disease, he and his family shared his final days laughing, reminiscing, playing cards, expressing love, and giving appreciation for God's blessings. Just hours before his passing, he had the strength to speak with and pray for every one of his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He passed with his five children at his side and in the arms of his wife. His strength of character was evident to his final breath: showing his courage in facing life challenges with dignity, his submission to the sovereignty of God, and concern for others before himself. In his final years, he devoted himself to the care and support of his wife and was a model of selfless love to his children and grandchildren. Fred was born in Lucinda, Pennsylvania as the ninth of eleven children to Augustus and Clara (Schmader) Gatesman. His devotion to the Lord, his incredible work ethic, and his "can do" approach to any challenge is a credit to the values of his parents and grandparents, the camaraderie he had with his siblings and his cousin Art Schwabenbauer. Fred has joined his parents and his siblings: Jack, Dana, Kenny, Joan Peluso, MaryLou Zeppuhar, Norma Mealy, Bette Crowe, Bill, and Mark in heaven. He is survived by his youngest sister Kathy Schmader of Leeper, Pa. Blessed by a large and loving extended family, Fred's love and appreciation for all of his brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews was evidenced by his constant interest in keeping up with their lives and sharing news of their accomplishments. Fred met the love of his life, Audrey (Augustine) in 1958. They married in 1961, and he loved and supported her and their family for 62 years. Together they have five children. Fred is the beloved father of Gary (Darla) of Indian Rocks Beach FL, Lisa Harding (Dave) of St Louis MO, Gretchen Fowler (Gary) of Northlake TX, Amy Meier (Martin) of Pinneberg Germany, and Gregory (Jacki) of Medford NJ. His children are blessed with decades of memories of exploring the world with Fred and Audrey: from their own backyard to the world beyond. His legacy includes twelve grandchildren. He spent over 30 years doting on and enjoying Kaitlin Harding Sides (Matt), Rebecca Harding Anderson (Brian), Elisabeth Harding, Lindsey Fowler-Wymer (Sean), Caroline Fowler, Benjamin Quigley, Aidan Quigley, Grace Quigley, Carlo Meier, Kalena Gatesman, Joshua Gatesman, and Samantha Gatesman. He delighted in his four great-grandchildren: Carson and Peyton Sides, Harding and Eloise Anderson. He lived a life to support his wife and children and their children. Being a grandpa was natural for Fred and he took great pride in each of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He invested his time, his talent and his love in supporting their efforts and celebrating their accomplishments. Fred and Audrey called Edgewater Park, New Jersey their home for 50 years. Fred loved spending time with his close New Jersey friends, John (Marge) Rieger, Joe (Ilse) Casolari, and Ken (Karen) Goetz. A lot of laughter and enjoyment came from their weekly gatherings. After retiring in 1999, he and Audrey split their time between homes in Southampton, New Jersey and Largo, Florida. They were faithful members of St Joseph Catholic Church of Beverly NJ and St Jerome Catholic Church of Largo FL. Fred was a lifelong learner. Although the sisters at St Joseph Catholic School in Lucinda would be hard pressed to believe it, his life beyond his elementary and high school days was one of academic pursuit and professional accomplishment. After graduation from St. Joseph's, Fred joined the Army in 1956. As he served his country, his country served him by providing training in electronics and radio communications. Fred discovered a passion and a natural talent for the work. After the service, he was recruited to work in the nascent computer communications industry where he worked on developing the first computers and computing systems for military and commercial use. While working full time and raising a growing family with Audrey, Fred earned a Bachelor's of Science in Mathematics at LaSalle University in Philadelphia. Fred started his career at Remington Rand working on hardware, interfaces, and programing for the first generations of UNIVAC computing systems. He was also an instructor and authored technical manuals for training systems analysts. As Fred's career in computing development progressed at Sperry Rand, Bell Labs, and Unisys, he had the opportunity to support many areas of military as well as commercial communications. Fred, a humble man who rarely drew attention to his accomplishments, recently shared his appreciation for being on a team that supported ARPANET and for contributing to the creation of what is considered the primary forerunner of the Internet. Fred was industrious at home as well! He loved to "do it himself" and was a self taught architect, construction engineer, electrician, plumber, painter, roofer, auto mechanic, appliance repairman, and landscaper. His wife was blessed with a home that evolved over the years to meet her needs and his friends and neighbors were blessed with his generous lending of knowledge, tools, and a helping hand. His handiwork can also be found throughout his children's homes and in his grandchildren's play structures and tree houses. In his "free" time, Fred enjoyed beach walks, playing golf with his friends, winning at cards, riding his bike, and watching sunsets with Audrey at Indian Rocks Beach. . Throughout the years, Fred and Audrey loved their grandchildren by cheering at thousands of games, meets, and matches, attending countless performance and award ceremonies, and celebrating graduations, weddings, births, baptisms, first communions, and confirmations. Fred will be deeply missed as his family continues to grow and his legacy continues. Fred's friends and family are invited to gather to share happy memories and celebrate his life on July 1, 2022 at St Mary of the Lakes Roman Catholic Church, in Medford Lakes NJ. A time to formally visit with the family will begin at 10 am and Mass will begin at 11 am. There will be a luncheon and a time to enjoy gathering with friends and family immediately following the service at a nearby venue

Frederick George Gatesman

November 16, 1938 - June 16, 2022