DWAYNE FRITSCHE Obituary

Age 86, passed away Monday, September 6, 2010 at his home in La Canada, California. Dwayne was a proud member of the U.S. Marine Corps, an engineer for Hughes Aircraft, an avid mountain climber and a world traveler. He is survived by Virginia Rotramel, his partner of 32 years; children, Barbara Fritsche, Mona Fritsche, Dianne Fritsche, Robert Fritsche and Karen Fritsche; grandchildren, Dustin Stevenson, Alexander Stevenson, Nicolas Stevenson, Danyelle Fritsche and Jacqueline Fritsche; and his beloved dog, Bullet. Dwayne was loved by all and will be remembered for his pale blue eyes, famous bacon and egg breakfasts, spirited games of Cribbage and his warmth and humor. VALLEY FUNERAL HOME Burbank (818) 845-3766 www.ValleyFuneralHomeBurbank.com

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Published by Los Angeles Daily News on Sep. 12, 2010.

Memories and Condolences
for DWAYNE FRITSCHE

8 Entries

Debbie Taylor

September 16, 2010

Diane, Karen, Robert, Mona and Barbara. Sincere Sympathy and condolences to you all from The Taylor's.
I remember how beautiful your Christmas trees were as a kid; and was enthralled as I watched your Dad create the perfect tree; he take'd a couple Charlie Brown like trees, drill holes in the trunk of one and add the limbs from the other. Whatever the motavation was for him to do that.. it was totally lost on this kid..he made beautriful Christmas trees is indelibly in my mind.
I Love you and Blessings to you all
Debbie Taylor Conaway

Marlene Hajdu

September 15, 2010

I know how much my dear friend, Barbara thought about her dad and Jenny.
Blessings to you and the family.
Marlene Hajdu

September 15, 2010

To Barbara Fritsche - We are so pleased to have had the opportunity to meet your dad. He was such a vibrant man & had a million dollar smile. You captured all of that and more in the portrait you painted of him. We send our most sincere condolences to you and all of his loved ones at this time. With Love, Barbara and Tex Williams

Chris Mette

September 15, 2010

Growing up across the street I have so many memories of Mr. Fritsche. Come on, he will always be known as that. I will always remember him as such a patient and gentle man. He would play outside with us. My favorite memory of him is when his VW Bug speedometer was going to flip all the way back to zero after going 100,000 miles. He had all the neighborhood kids pile into the car so we could watch it flip over. I remember that we all screamed.
My thoughts are with all of you. I'm so glad we have reconnected after all these years. Growing up in PV was somehow magical in our neighborhood. Big hugs to all of you.

Bob Linse

September 14, 2010

I'm sorry for your loss and mine. I only hiked a couple of times with your
Dad. I was so young on each occasion that my memories are like snapshots.
Like the snapshots of your Dad in his element in the Sierras and on Rainier.
But my hikes with Uncle Dwayne left an imprint, made a lifelong impression.
I'm sure of this because I've thought of him, his enthusiasm and confidence
and discussion, when I'm recharging in the mountains.

I remember wearing my first backpack of some sort hiking the steep Denny
Creek Trail east of Seattle with him. He took me to the precipice and a
view of The Tooth, towering above the dark valley and washed by sunlight.
The accompanying feelings today are of adventure and feeling secure in his
guidance. (I remember his adventure stories and pictures from taking all of
you through the Sierras - so my use of the term "secure" reflects on his
"can do" oneness with his mountains, not solely about camping in a
comfortable spot! He was an adventurer, in life I guess, and looked to us
and we grew inspired.) I'd like to say his passion for the outdoors is a
Fritsche quality, too, and recognize our Grandparents, as my Mom Barbara,
his sister, loved to take us to the mountains and camp.

Even earlier, when my age had to be in the single digits, he took me
scrambling along a rocky creek bed in a narrow canyon, out of Boise, where
we lived. I clearly recall the jumbled, gorgeous golden hued river rocks.
I can remember overhanging trees casting shadows, highlighting the gold and
amber colors. Maybe it was fall and the trees even had golden leaves? He
talked of the gold in the canyon and mining lore, I vividly remember that
much. (It didn't surprise me he went to Nome, with Robert?, for the
adventure and connection to history to shovel and pan for gold; though I
wish he could have left his sore back at home.) I asked him where we had
hiked but he had hiked so many glorious trails and helped so many of us.
One can hope he's started a new adventure and is there ahead of us.

Once, he knew I was hiking Mt. Whitney and I called him, enthusiastic with
our impressions. We hadn't been able to time it together but he went soon
after, and called to say how different it was for him, climbing through the
first snowfall. About a year ago I sent him pictures of daughter LeeAnne
climbing Mt. Baker, "Uncle Dwayne's mountain" I told her, from a year
earlier when she was 14. I hope you got to see the pictures of that
splendid peak and her achievement on retracing his steps. When we gave our
consent to have her climb with a guide arranged by her summer camp, I felt
like I was meaningfully starting her on further mountain journeys as I had
been inspired.

Bob Linse, Dwayne's nephew, with wife Lynda, and daughter LeeAnne (16)
Bellevue, Wa

Brian Linse

September 14, 2010

Dwayne was a fun guy and great uncle. He was always ready for a spirited discussion on just about any topic. He had his opinions but was always eager to listen and then challenge an opposing view. Certainly one of the favorite topics for discussion was hiking and being outside, after a good dose of politics/current events. No matter when the conversation he eagerly supplied an update on all his children and grandchildren who he loved greatly. Best wishes to Gini and my cousins during this time of loss and fond memories of Dwayne for the fleeting times went spent together.

Eva Diaz

September 13, 2010

You all have his eyes, you all share his heart. His blood pumps in you.

Can we ever know when death will strike or call? Can we ever know how we will make sense of a loved one's death, of a loved one's life?

This comes to mind: You have all climbed mountains with Dwayne, lit the campside fires that warmed your togetherness, breathed the air of the heights of freedom and the depths of unresolved conflict. Your father gave you, among other things, a deep appreciation of nature, educated you to survival, and imparted lessons that few can give.

As you know, your father and my father were both Marines, and we were so young when they were that we probably never fully realized what that meant in our educaton. Hooah. Semper Fidelis. From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli... little did they know that we would look up those places on maps and go to them... or maybe they did know, adventurers that they were. And our mothers, too. Damn, could they move with it. I mean, how many languages did Catherine speak? And Flo, besides the two she was born into?

Well... Catherine and Dwayne are departed from this lonely, sad orb.

We all grew up learning from our parents how to survive, How to work hard, how to do our duties, how to make a bed that could bounce a dime... how to set a tent, test waters to ensure that we could drink from a stream, how to learn to speak many languages, fly airplanes, and press a shirt till it stood at attention, saluted the wearer, and wrapped itself around our shoulders, clean and neat.

We became artists, linguists, stunt actors, mothers, pilots, news producers; we became travelers, educators, managers, global citizens, bankers, and chefs. Some of us kids died before Catherine and Dwayne and are with him in the hereafter, or, at worst, in the dust of nothingness.

Today, we honor Dwayne. We honor him, and your mother, who created you. We love you. We mourn with you, and we are with you in the depths of your sorrow, and our sadness. The Diaz Family stands with you in your sadness and in your grief. Always, with love, your sister, Eva

Joel Bellman

September 13, 2010

Extraordinary guy. For those of us who never had the privilege of meeting him, acquaintance and friendship with his gifted children is surely the next best thing; what better legacy can one leave?

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