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Fred Shirey Obituary
Aug. 28, 1941 - Nov. 25, 2016
Resident of San Jose
Fred passed away on Friday, November 25th at the age of 75 after a long struggle with cancer. Fred was born at O'Connor Hospital and was very proud of the fact that he lived his whole life in San Jose. He graduated from Willow Glen High School in 1960. While attending San Jose City College, he met his future wife, Karen Johnson. They were married on December 20, 1964. After serving four years in the Navy on board the USS Oriskany, he went to work for Santa Clara County/VTA. He retired in 1998 after a 35-year career. Fred also earned a massage certification from The Body Therapy Center in Palo Alto and had many massage clients throughout his retirement.
Fred had many interests, and he loved spending time with family and friends. Over the years, he was active in church, Golden Rule Lodge No. 479, SIRs Branch 141, the California Pioneers, and he was a season ticket holder at the San Jose Giants. He enjoyed volunteering at the Santa Clara County information desk for over 16 years. Fred and Karen loved to travel. They went on cruises all over the world, visited relatives in Sweden, and traveled to many Navy reunions. They belonged to a potluck group of 8 friends that had dinner together once a month for 48 years. Fred loved camping, reading, gardening, and helping others.
He will be greatly missed by Karen, his wife of nearly 52 years, his daughter Valerie Posey (Michael), his son Mark (Christina), and his 4 grandchildren who were the joy of his life, Benjamin and Joel Shirey and Ryan and Elizabeth Posey, a sister, Sue Reuser, in Utah, and a sister-in-law, Cari Johnson of Watsonville. His sister, Mary Lou Dempster, preceded him in death.
A celebration of life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 7 at San Jose Masonic Center, 2500 Masonic Dr. A private interment will be held at Oak Hill Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Santa Clara Kaiser Hospice, Plumas Eureka State Park Association, or any charity of your choice. The family wishes to thank the hospice nurses for their excellent care.
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Memories and Condolences
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Sponsored by San Jose Mercury News.
2 Entries
KELLEY
December 10, 2016
MAY THE THOUGHT OF KNOWING THAT FRIENDS AND FAMILY SHARE IN YOUR GRIEF BE OF COMFORT TO YOUR FAMILY.PLEASE READ PROV 17:17
Michael Chesley
December 9, 2016
I remember Fred as a loving, honorable, and approachable man. He seem to be always there with helpful advice, and actions.I will miss him very much.
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