Resilience Tenacity Love

Fred was born of the greatest generation in 1926 and grew up in Milwaukee Wisconsin. He was the youngest with two older brothers, Gilbert and Vilas, and two sisters, Esther and Viola. Fred served his country from 1945-1947 in the 24th infantry division of the United States Army. Fred performed his duties in the final months of the Philippine conflict and as a part of the occupation force of Japan. Following his honorable discharge, He received a BS degree in engineering from the University of Wisconsin. Like so many of his generation, Fred left his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1952 and migrated to California to pursue and secure a better future for himself. It was in California that Fred met his future wife, Priscilla Beals, and started a family. For nearly 70 years, Fred and Priscilla lived in what is now Rancho Palos Verdes.

Fred had a distinguished career as an aerospace engineer working first for Hughes Aircraft (predecessor of Raytheon), who sponsored his UCLA master’s degree in Engineering, and then TRW (predecessor of Northrop Grumman). Fred worked on defense and space exploration projects, including satellite and space systems. Fred’s name is on the Viking space probe on the surface of planet Mars. Fred was an engineer and tinkerer in the truest sense of the word and loved working on and repairing his cars, or fixing whatever was broken in the house. Fred loved the Pacific Ocean. In the mid 1960’s he bought a house overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Catalina. He owned a sail boat and was a member of the Buccaneer Yacht club. He was also a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, patrolling the Los Angeles Harbor. Fred loved to body surf and run on the beach during his work lunch break. Fred was a bit of an adventurer and lived life to the fullest. In his 60’s he climbed to the 19,000 foot summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. He also transited the sheer cliffs of the Khyber Pass, part the ancient Silk Road that connected Afghanistan and Pakistan. Another adventure took him to the jungles of Zaire, Africa, trekking in search of Gorillas. With a friend, Fred road the famous Trans-Siberian railroad from Vladivostok, Siberia to Moscow.

Above all, Fred cherished and loved his family. Fred is survived by his wife, Priscilla B. Koehler; his children Steven M. Koehler, Paul C. Koehler, Beth (Koehler) Welch; grandchildren Katherine (Koehler) Saroyan, Frederick Welch, Alexander Welch; and great grandchildren Zoe Saroyan and Holly Saroyan.

We love you Dad.