Obituary for Mr. Fred L. Center Fred L. Center passed away at home on April 6, 2018, with his wife, Gerda, at his side. He was born on January 8, 1933, to the late Fred and Florence Center. As a child, he enjoyed spending time with his grandparents in Paint Lick, Kentucky, where both of his parents were born.
The family moved to Buffalo when Fred was an infant and it is there where he grew up. He graduated from Kenmore High School, in Buffalo, as captain of the swim team, class president and valedictorian. Fred was on the Kenmore relay team that produced one of the fastest times in the United States.
A 1954 graduate of the University of Buffalo at Buffalo, he was the captain and two-time MVP of the University’s men’s swim team. Fred was also a member of the U.B. men’s tennis team and President of his fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi. He was known as a fierce boxer representing his fraternity in U.B. intramural boxing tournaments.
After college he served in the United States Army and then went on to attend Officers Candidate School to subsequently serve as Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. He proudly served in the Mediterranean, on the USS Tidewater. After his Honorable Discharge he continued serving his country as a member of the U.S. Naval Reserves.
He met and married Gerda, in Buffalo, and moved to Akron, Ohio, in 1967 with their young daughter Lisa and son, Patrick, on the way. A successful career as a marketing executive, in his spare time, Fred was also a member of several swim & tennis clubs and loved to play a mean game of “smash mouth” tennis winning many tournaments in the Akron area. He also enjoyed serving as a linesman for the Virginia Slims Tournaments, in the 1970s, when they were played at the Richfield Coliseum.
He continued to enjoy swimming as a form of exercise until the age of eighty. He will be forever remembered for his quick wit and incredible sense of humor. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his daughter, Susan.
He is survived by his loving, caring, and devoted wife of 55 years, Gerda Center. He will be dearly missed by his daughter, Lisa (Chuck) Gould, son Patrick (Jodi) Center and granddaughters Sienna and Norah Center. Special thanks to Crossroads Hospice for the comfort and care they provided to both Fred and his family.
Per his wishes, a private family memorial will take place. Friends may want to raise a glass of beer, or a martini, to toast Fred and remember the good times spent with him. He would like that.
To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Mr. Fred L. Center please visit our Sympathy Store.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
