Frederick “Fred” Fayette Fletcher, V
September 17, 1927 – December 31, 2010
Frederick “Fred” Fayette Fletcher, V passed away on December 31, 2010 at his Santa Barbara home at the age of 83. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Peggy Fletcher, six children, 14 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and his younger brother, Tom Fletcher. The cause was myelodysplasia.
Born in Sacramento, CA on September 17, 1927 to Frederick Fayette Fletcher, IV and Helen Brekke Fletcher, Mr. Fletcher enlisted in the United States Navy in 1945, near the end of WWII. He joined the Air Force in 1948, where he flew in the Strategic Air Command B-50 Bombers during the Korean War until he was diagnosed with polio and discharged in 1953. He married his first wife, Claire Mullen, in 1948, and they had three children: Rick Fletcher (Kay), of Bend, Oregon, Deborah Longino DeKalb of Twisp, WA, and Lynne Meltzer (David) of Las Vegas, Nevada. She died in 1969. He married his second wife, Margaret “Peggy” Oldenquist, on February 14, 1970, and he adopted her daughter, Mona Fletcher Ring (Robert) of Bend, OR, a year later. The couple had two more children together, Anne Fletcher of San Francisco, CA and Amy Brekke Fletcher of Brooklyn, NY. His 14 grandchildren are Haley Fletcher, Eric Fletcher, Torey Fletcher, Lauren Fletcher, Sarah Longino DeKalb, James Longino DeKalb, Natalia Dunn, Amelia Lehman, Fletcher DeKalb, Ashley Ring, RJ Ring, MacKenzie Ring, Dylan Meltzer and Fletcher Grund.
While pursuing his Master’s degree in Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley, Mr. Fletcher worked for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. After graduating summa cum laude, he began his career as an engineer and a corporate executive, first at Aerojet General in Sacramento, CA and then as Chief Engineer at California General, Inc. in San Diego, CA, where he was promoted to Vice President. In 1964 he went to work for Fansteel as General Manager of the Metals Division, where he eventually served as a Group Vice President. He then assumed the position of Executive Vice President at Whittaker Corporation, leaving to purchase his own aerospace machine company, TruBor, Inc. in 1979, which he sold 8 years later. In 1987 he purchased Precision Microcast, Inc., where he served as President until his retirement in 2005.
During his long life, Mr. Fletcher was an avid sailor, collector of European sports cars, a gourmet cook, a philanthropist, and a lively raconteur. He was known as a loyal friend and dedicated employer, and leaves behind many beloved friends and family.
A funeral mass will be celebrated on Thursday, January 6, 2011, at 1:30pm at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, at 21 East Sola Street, Santa Barbara, CA, with a reception following in the adjacent parish hall.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care of Santa Barbara www.vnhcsb.org and Casa Serena Residential Treatment Home for Women www.casaserena.org