Thomas William Fredrickson, age 70, of Myrtle Beach passed away on July 19, 2018 at home from cancer. He was born on Feb 24, 1948 in Lebanon, PA to Herbert and Beatrice Fredrickson. He was the youngest brother to Linda and Robert.
Tom graduated Conrad Weiser High School in 1966 in Robesonia Pennsylvania. He attended West Chester University for one year. He was married to Diane Adair (deceased), and to Michelle Wachoski.
Tom enlisted in the Army from March 1968 to Jun 1972 and was stationed in Vietnam and Germany. He received the National Defense Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and Air Medal, as well as two Overseas Service Bars. His career included working at Clover Farms Dairy setting up their complete computer system and at GPU in Geographical Information Systems long before the world knew anything about GPS.
From that background, he became an account manager with GeoDigital, where he retired. He lived in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Germany, New Jersey, and finally South Carolina. Tom loved baseball, playing in high school as a very talented left-handed pitcher and was scouted by Baltimore and Pittsburgh, but the Vietnam War got in the way of his chance at a professional career.
Although Tom was left-handed, he took up playing golf right-handed as a child because he only had access to right-handed clubs. He was an accomplished player and became the Flying Hills Club Champion in 2003. After moving to Myrtle Beach, he kept several clubs in the kitchen and could be seen out on the golf course almost every evening.
Tom loved fishing and he was adept at finding little hideouts where he could drop a fishing line. He was very artistic and dabbled in sculpture, stained glass, mandala drawing, photography, and pastel artwork. He had a wonderful sense of humor and always had a joke to tell, which he inherited from both of his parents.
Tom is survived by his wife Michelle Fredrickson of Myrtle Beach, SC, his daughter Janet Kaley and her husband Chris of Jacksonville FL, and his son Jeffrey Fredrickson and his wife Michele of Albuquerque NM, his sister Linda Boudman and brother Robert Fredrickson. He has five grandchildren (Janet’s children Chelsea, Samantha Nicole, and Madison and Jeffrey’s children Joseph and Elizabeth). He was predeceased by his wife Diane age 54.
A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. September 2, 2018 at the Southcreek Community Center, Myrtle Beach SC. He will be interred at the Florence National Cemetary in Florence SC. For more information, call Michelle Fredrickson at 732-841-0299.
Please make a donation to Lower Cape Fear Hospice, 1414 Physicians Drive, Wilmington NC 28401. A special thanks to his care team Rose Fischer, Sherri Towalie, Melissa Macon, Kitty Boyd, and Virginia Hornbeck from Lower Cape Fear Hospice. Live and Love Life!
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