In Memory
FREDERICK F. FISCHBACH
FISCHBACH, FREDERICK FRANCIS
Frederick Francis Fischbach, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, age 83, died at his home on Friday, April 11, 2014. Fred was a noted aeronautical scientist and decorated Navy veteran who served in the Korean War.
Born on January 31, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois, Fred attended school at South Bend Central where he graduated as valedictorian of his class at age 17. He entered the University of Michigan in the fall of 1948 to study aeronautics and earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in physics.
He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and was an exceptional mathematician. While at Michigan, Fred also served in the Navy ROTC and entered the Navy upon graduation. As a navigator aboard the USS Witek, he was a Korean War veteran and held the rank of LTJG. He was a member of the National Society of the Scabbard and Blade, and was very proud of his military service.
Upon his discharge he worked in a shared capacity between the University of Michigan and the Department of Defense, developing sounding rockets for upper-atmospheric research. In this capacity, Fred headed launch teams at Wallops Island, Virginia, and White Sands, New Mexico. He published peer-reviewed works on subjects ranging from sounding rocketry to microwave occultation. His team's flights with the Nike Cajon rocket held altitude records for three decades, and the basic rocket design his co-developed was incorporated into the Honest John Missile, which served as the backbone of the US missile arsenal throughout much of the Cold War. A highly sought-after designer of implements and tools for a variety of industries, Fred founded University Biometrics in the late 1960s and developed equipment that is used in occupational and physical therapy settings to this day.
He was also instrumental in the founding of Door Controls International in Dexter, and he worked for and consulted with that firm until his death. He developed a number of patents for door-closure coordination systems, and served on the Door Hard Institute's standards board for many years. Fred's passion for science and engineering was matched by a boundless enthusiasm for adventure. He and his friends followed solar eclipses and other astronomical and atmospheric phenomena around the globe, and Fred traveled to all continents except Antarctica.
His life's major expedition was a solo canoe journey from Great Slave Lake (NWT) to Inuvik, above the Arctic Circle. The trip took more than two months and yielded a journal filled with incredible descriptions of Aurora Borealis, wolf activity, bear encounters, and life away from civilization in an unforgiving wilderness. The family's vacations reflected his interest in the natural world, and often were centered around areas such as Banff and Yellowstone parks. Most involved long travels through the heart of the American West. Fred also was an avid fly fisherman and made yearly pilgrimages to Montana to pursue trout on the Madison and Gallatin rivers, as well as fishing all the major trout streams of Michigan. A flawless grammarian and writer, Fred enjoyed crossword puzzles and was an omnivorous reader. While science and mathematics were his principal areas of expertise, he had deep knowledge in a range of topics, particularly geography, history, and sports.
Fred married Marylouise Lindquist in 1952 and she survives. He also is survived by a brother, Curtis Fischbach of Adrian; his children, Cort (Maureen) Fischbach of Pinckney, Kristin (Harold) Holcomb of Chelsea, and Dirk (Kathryn) Fischbach of Saline; and his grandchildren, Skylar Smith of Austin, Texas, and Evan and Colwyn Fischbach of Saline.
He was preceded in death by his son, Brett Fischbach.
A Funeral Service will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, April 18, 2014, at the Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea. Visitation will be held from 10:30 a.m. until the time of service. Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army.
Published by Ann Arbor News from Apr. 15 to Apr. 17, 2014.
01/18/2023 EJS
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