Friedrich (Fred) Johann Schmitz

Fred (Friedrich) Johann Schmitz passed away on October 23, 2023 after a brief illness in Jacksonville FL. He was born on May 25, 1933 in Frankfurt Nied, Germany and grew up during WWII.

He immigrated to America in 1953 following his older sister to Oak Ridge. He joined the US Army in 1954 and was honorably discharged in 1957. Fred returned to Oak Ridge and served in the Reserves until 1962.  He mostly served in England. He would joke that he had to join the US Army to get to England and learn English. Fred received his US Citizenship on 11/18, 1955 in South Ruislip, England.  While in England, he also met and married his wife, Dorothea Schmitz and had their first child in 1957.

After returning and working various jobs in Oak Ridge, Fred got an Associates Degree in Engineering from Fort Worth College, Ft. Worth Texas. He worked at EG&G ORTEC for over 30 years before retiring. Fred lived on Park Ln in the Woodland area of Oak Ridge for decades until moving to Jacksonville in 2020.

Fred always had dogs as companions, ranging from german shepherds to his final dog, a chihuahua. He loved motorcycles; he and Thea would drive throughout East Tennessee and the Smokies on his GoldWing -- stopping to look at deer. While in Jacksonville, one of his favorite places to visit was the ocean.  With his white hair and smile, he once won a Phil Donahue look-alike contest. A favorite present was lottery scratch-offs. He was a regular church goer – ending his faith journey at Heritage Fellowship. He was known for his kindness, good-nature and mild disposition.

He was predeceased by his father, Louis Philipp Schmitz; his mother, Dina Dörr, and his sister Irene (Harold†) Alexander of Oak Ridge, and his wife, Dorothea (Thea) Arline Marjorie Manuel. He is survived by his daughter, Cathy Schmitz (William†) Eldridge of Jacksonville, FL, his son Darren Schmitz (Brian Davison) Knoxville; and his sister Inge (William†) Williams of Oak Ridge, his grandchildren: Carson Buck Eldridge, Johnathan Russell (Sylvia) Eldridge and Catherine Lindsey Eldridge; niece – Helene Gant and nephews – Will, Kurt, and Sam Williams.

A celebration of life will be held at Heritage Fellowship Church, 121 N Illinois Ave, Oak Ridge TN on Saturday Nov. 11 at 4p in the upper chapel with the family receiving friends afterwards.

In place of flowers, please consider donating to:

The Dementia Society https://www.dementiasociety.org/donate

The Mayo Clinic https://philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/donateMC