Fred John Bethke, age 87, died in Florida on February 26, 2011.
Fred was born in Hammond, Wis., and grew up on a farm in Deer Park. He attended New Richmond High School. Fred spent 5 years working in Fairbanks, Alaska. He then went on to work for 25 years at the Ford plant in St. Paul. After he retired, he conducted tours at the Ford plant for several years.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Shirley; son, John; twin granddaughters, Kailin and McKenna; brothers, Christian (Loretta) of New Richmond and Arthur (Mildred) of Anchorage, Alaska and Hawaii. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Frieda (Weiss) Bethke; sisters, Irene Krueger and Hilda Readel; and first wife, Inez.
When Fred and Shirley married in 1990, they started spending winters in Florida where Fred golfed, fished and enjoyed many activities where they lived.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 26, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 104 South Snelling Ave., St. Paul, 651-699-5560. Interment will be at a later date in Deer Park Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Immanuel Lutheran Church or to the donor's choice.
(New Richmond News - Thursday, March 24, 2011)
