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Charles Fritch Obituary
North Hollywood, CA
Charles Edward Fritch (85), January 20, 1927 - October 11, 2012. Charles is survived by his wife, Shirley; children, David, Cindy Baker (Thomas), Eric (Katie), Michael (McKenzie); and grandchildren, Emily (Bryce), Gregory and Sarah. Charles was born and grew up in Utica, NY. He served in the United States Army - 82nd Airborne. He was an accomplished writer, editor and author. His writing career began in 1951 with "The Wallpaper" - a career which spanned over the next 50 years. He was a member of 'The Southern California School of Writers', better known as "The Group". One of his many short stories, The Misfortune Cookie, aired on Twilight Zone in 1986. Charles will be truly missed by all who knew and loved him and enjoyed his great sense of humor. Charles will be laid to rest on Tuesday, November 13, 2012, at 3 p.m. at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Charles Fritch
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Memories and Condolences
for Charles Fritch
Sponsored by Dad, I miss you, love Cindy.
Trudy Dannelly
February 5, 2016
When I was a little girl I wanted him to be my dad. He would come over to our house to see my sister Cindy Fritch and my brother Eric Fritch. I would follow him and my siblings where ever they go. He was so funny and handsome Id wait on pins and needles for him to look at me and smile. I was so jealous, I wanted him to be my dad! I loved u Charles Fritch. RIP
David their Proud Son
June 14, 2014
@ Dear Dad
Thinking of you on Father's Day
I still miss both you and mom deeply. Without my interactions with you both on a daily basis 24/7 , I still feel quite Lost as if part of my existence and identity died along with the both of you.
I hope that you are finding Peace and comfort in knowing that your children all keep memories of you in our hearts and in our thoughts and that you will never be forgotten. You are always with us in fact, I can see your likeness in the faces of your children and grandchildren; your good looks, your smile, your good nature and that sparkle of life in your eyes can all be seen in them as well. They carry you with them as do I.
I remember your having told me that when you were a Depression Era kid that you had always wanted one of those Secret Decoder Rings from one of your favorite Radio n Movie Heroes but that your family couldn't afford it. and oh how you loved those suspenseful radio shows like Dick Tracy and The Shadow; all the mysteries and SciFi and the Detective shows too.
You also had a childhood fondness for pocket knives and for little figures of Astronauts and of Medieval Knights in Armor You enjoyed reading anything SciFi and about Super Heroes and Flash Gordon, Super Man and Batman among your favorites especially in comic books with added enjoyment for all of the toy and gimmick ads in the back of all the comic books. You were always fascinated by gadgets and wind up toys and train sets too. One year Michael put together a train set for you under our Christmas tree which the Hamster rode atop of with the dog following behind.
Old Blk n Wht cartoons amused you as well, esp. of Mickey Mouse which lead you to make up weird, off the wall bedtime stories about a Candy Mouse character that you would tell stories about to both Michael and the dog who both listened with full attention.
Infact all three of our dogs adored you and would sit at attention and listen to everything you had to say to them as if they completely understood you. Such a fondness and compassion for animals, so much so that it was sensed by animals in that stray dogs were always coming up to you to be petted without hesitation. It amazed me how they could pick up on your kind good nature. The only time in fact that you ever allowed yourself to cry that I witnessed was when each of our dogs passed on.
You also had that lunch time companion of yours adored you as well that friendly Squirrel that faithfully waited for you for years at lunch time that would eat besides you eating what you would bring to him and then it would sit up and just watch you and jump onto your arm or leg while you walked with it around the lunch area..
You just had this charm about you that people were attracted to. I know that in the early 50's when you were new to Hollywood, that both Kim Novak and Ava Gardner were both sweet on you as you would meet with them to discuss working on their autobiographies. Ladies were always attracted to your quiet intellectual appearance with your brown framed glasses and your head of full thick wavy dark blonde hair all combed back and that one distinguished raised up eyebrow.
Ofcourse anyone whom knew you could see that beneath that innocent looking persona there was that inner child of yours that wanted to kid around. You always had that gleam and sparkle in your eyes waiting for just the right moment to tell one of your funny stories, remarks, comebacks and witty observations.
Your humor was really off the wall in that how you loved to misinform the kids telling your version of history and of facts, totally twisted or bizarre like some of your short stories.
Yes Dad, as a kid I totally believed you when you had told me that JC was actually a World War I Flying Ace that had got shot down defending Heaven from the enemy and that was how he had died. Ummm, yeah, that made me very popular in school. Then you had told me that Santa Clause and Rudolph had both died of a cold they caught in an avalanche in the North Pole while on a picnic with the Elves. Which was more believable at the time than your telling me that all Easter bunnies had red eyes because they were really Vampire Rabbits with Rabies. To this day I have never pet a Rabbit. Even scarier still was when you told me that Department Store mannequins all come alive at night and roam around and that if I wasn't a good little boy that you would call up a bunch of Pirates that take away bad little boys to work on Pirate ships and then are turned into child mannequins. lastly you had told me that the Lochness Monster was really a Giraffe whom was taking a swim, in Ireland! I miss you.
Sometimes I return to the all glass windowed Hospital Chapel at the hospital where both you and mom were taken and I pray and ask of
G-d to be sure to reunite your soul and consciousness with those of everyone that you ever loved and cared about that had also passed on. I also ask G-d to reassure you that you will never be forgotten because your children and family all Love and miss you.
Dad, please kiss and hug Mom for me too. You both will forever be in my thoughts and in my heart.
Love,
David
Mckenzie F
May 11, 2014
To my favorite Dad-In-Law, I regret that I am learning so many wonderful, new things about you after your passing. I wish I could have just one more day to talk and laugh with you! I am torn up about the opportunities wasted and time I foolishly thought we'd always have more of. We never appreciate what we have until it's gone. I miss you so much, Chuck! Love, Mack
Michael
January 22, 2014
Happy 87th Birthday, Dad! I'm sorry you're not here for us all to celebrate the day. Just thinking about you today and keeping you in my thoughts. Love and miss you tons!
~Love, Michael
David ( son )
January 21, 2014
Jan 22, 2014 Dear Dad; I WISH that you were here with us so that we could celebrate your 87th birthday. We all Love and miss you very much.
No matter how involved we are with our families, jobs and with busy schedules, our memories and thoughts of you are always carried with us in our heart.
I still catch myself getting up in the middle of the night to check on and too cover both you and mom and too see to your needs. Instead, I wake to find the cold, stifling, emptiness that has replaced both you and mom. I've asked G-D repeatedly why he felt it necessary to have taken the both of you, and in just four months apart in time. I can only assume that G-D felt that after Fifty years of marriage that you both should not be separated but instead that you both should share together in the marvels and creations of the Universe and too be in G-D's company.
Kiss and hug mom for me. I never got to say goodbye to her.
I hope that you are both dancing among the stars with your souls shinning just as brightly.
and Dad, always remember that you are Loved and missed and thought of often. You will never be forgotten.
Still Desperately missing you both.
Love,
David
David (proud stepson)
January 23, 2013
In memory of Charles Edward Fritch born on Januray 22nd 1927 in his beloved Utica NY and passed away on October 11th of 2012 at the age of 85.
He was the beloved son of Charles Edward Fritch Sr. and mother Nellie
Charles was husband to Shirley and beloved father to Cindy, Eric, Michael and David and grandfather of Emily, Greg and Sarah
When Charles was a little boy he loved to listen to all the old radio shows which sparked a passion deep inside of him to write. He loved all of the old radio mystery and Sci-Fi radio shows that he could picture vividly in his imagination. He also loved to stare up at the stars and had an interest in astrology. He would stare up for hours into the night sky with his telescope with utter fascination of the stars and moon, always wondering and imagining what other worlds were like. He wondered about all of the other life forms and of all the other creations that G-D most certainly must have designed and put into the vast and ever expanding universes. That curiosity stayed with him all of his life and he took great interest in the space programs with all of the space missions to the moon. He had looked forward to Man's reaching Mars one day.
As a young boy another passion of Charles' was to goto the Saturday movie matinees where he'd sit for hours watching the old blk n wht movie serials that always ended in the "to be continued" cliff hangers. Mentally he was always writing the next chapter of the movies before he saw them. The movie serials like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers and others influenced him even more in wanting to become a writer of science fiction and the old movies about Detectives influenced him to write and too edit many mystery stories and pulp magazines, another passion of his.
After high school Charles was trained as a Paratrooper during WWII and then later was stationed in post war Japan wherein he witnessed first hand what the horrors and destruction of what wars create. Charles was always known to be a Man of Peace. He hated all wars and wished that Humankind could all live on the planet united as one. Before he was stationed in Japan, Charles was assigned to a troop carrier ship whereon he was trained to assist the ships' medics. To this day Charles is a decorated war veteran.
After the war, Charles returned to his hometown of Utica where he attended College His major was in English and he also minored in Psychology so that it would aid him in his writings and development of his fictional characters in his stories. He went to school during the day and worked part time jobs at night to pay for his education. He graduated in 1950 with honors He attended college long enough to have received a Degree in English. after graduation he left Utica to pursue a writing career in California He had always wanted to be a writer since his childhood.
In Los Angeles California he belonged to a prestigious group for
Science-Fiction writers like himself with the likes of Rod Serling of the Twilight Zone and Ray Bradbury among many others. Over the years, Charles sold over a hundred short stories of Sci-Fi, anthologies and mysteries He also wrote the biography of actress Kim Novak
In the early '60's he entered the world of magazine and pulp publications where in he wrote and edited for several publications and he was also an agent and a ghost writer for several writers, though he rarely received the credit he deserved.
Charles was an author and a writer for close to 70 years Reading and writing were his passion in life. He also loved music of the Big Band Era and liked to sing old standards as well. He loved animals and always had a pet especially dogs. For years where he work he'd share his seat at lunchtime with a friendly Squirrel that waited for Charles everyday so that the two of them could sit side by side and eat together. Charles loved and appreciated nature especially the streams and parks of upstate NY and of his beloved Utica.
During Charles' writing career he won several awards including a prestigious Edgar Allen Poe award He and his wife Shirley won awards together for material that they wrote together for the theater and creative arts groups that they belonged to.
In the mid '80's Charles was proud when his first two children Cindy and Eric enlisted in the Navy. Charles was glad that they had this opportunity with all that they learned and took away from their many experiences. His children were always well grounded, honest, and very morale which allowed them to become the hardworking and devoted parents that they are today with loving families of their own.
Charles was also proud of his other son Michael for leaving CA to venture out and too create a life of his own where he found his lovely and spirited soul mate and wife Mackenzie.
From the years 2000 to 2010 Charles worked for the State of California. He had a security clearance which allowed him to transfer sensitive documents onto micro film. He did this during the day While at night and in every free moment he had he would continue to write and too imagine. He never gave up on it and was first and foremost a writer.
Charles will always be in our hearts and he will never be forgotten.
We love you Dad as your soul sparkles amongst the stars.
~Michael (son)
January 22, 2013
Happy Birthday, Dad. You would've been 86 years young today! Sorry you're not here with us to celebrate your birthday, but you're at peace now, and your soul and spirit is in a better place. I hope you're up there hob-knobbing with your fellow writer friends, Dick Clark and Bettie Page. Love and miss you lots!
Cynthia MacGregor
December 7, 2012
I will miss Chuck and his sense of humor. But to his family and other friends I would remind you that only the body is gone--the spirit lives on in the hearts & minds of those who cherish his memory.
David (stepson)
December 6, 2012
THIS link can take you to the blog of the noted popular scifi writer
Mr. William F. Nolan whom became friends with Charles back in the mid '50's when Charles first moved out here from NY. Nolan gives a brief bio and shares some memories about his long time friend Charles E. Fritch
http://williamfnolan.jasunni.com/2012/12/05/good-ole-chuck/
George Carroll Rice
December 6, 2012
So long, Old Buddy. Your cockeyed wit, puns, critical eye, and emails will be missed. We;ve come a long way from our days at Douglas, and it's been a good, if bumpy, ride. Now, may you enjoy the unalloyed wonders of the Universe. Rest in peace, Chuck, You will not be forgotten here. gcr
David (stepson)
December 5, 2012
The Utica OD's Mohawk Valley Hall of Fame has a brief interview and pic of Charles E. Fritch wering his favorite Utica T shirt. Pic was taken at one of the anthology book signings that he had attended
http://www.uticaod.net/site_html/SPECIAL_CONTENT/halloffame/literature/fritch_charles.htm
Mike (son)
December 5, 2012
Dear Dad,
I want to thank you for the following:
All of our Chess games; Saturday mornings spent watching the old Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers serials; our photography adventures at the park; stamp & coin collecting together; our weekend visits to the old book and movie shops in Hollywood; the evenings we spent watching "The Avengers" and "The Prisoner" reruns; those times we went to the Bijou to watch Abbott & Costello flicks and old-time serials; and the constant and daily barrage of assorted puns and one-liners that made me groan, but that I find myself using most days on my own family and friends.
I love you, Dad. Rest in Peace.
Mike (son)
December 5, 2012
Some more links about Chuck (dad):
http://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=559
http://jamesreasoner.blogspot.com/2012/12/charles-e-fritch-rip.html
Robert Carter ([email protected])
December 5, 2012
I was shocked and saddened when I found out about Charles' passing. For seven years I've looked forward to his emails from Sunny Cal. I can't believe I'll never see another. You'll be missed, Guv. Every day.
"Buggywhip"
David (stepson)
December 4, 2012
Comments posted about Charles on a scifi news website
http://www.sfsite.com/news/2012/12/03/obituary-charles-e-fritch/
David (stepson)
December 3, 2012
This is a Link to a partial list of some of the widely held works from writer
Charles E. Fritch
http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n2006-76876
David (stepson)
December 3, 2012
This ebook link is to one of Charles' scifi short stories which you can read online and get an idea of his very early writing style. It's called, "Skin Game" from May 1954 from a scifi magazine called,
"If : Worlds of Science Fiction"
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31665/31665-h/31665-h.htm
Frank Matcha
December 2, 2012
God bless you Chuck. I was lucky I got to know you while I was growing up. I will always hang on to my fond memories of your intelligence, your wit and your style.
James Reasoner
December 1, 2012
Rest in peace, Chuck. It was a pleasure working with you at Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine all those years ago.
David, (stepson)
December 1, 2012
FRITCH, CHARLES E(edward) (1927-2012 ); see pseudonym Chester H. Carlfi (chron.)
* The Cog, (vi) Astounding Feb 1953
Astounding Science Fiction (UK) Nov 1953
* The Dry Spell, (ss) Science Fiction Quarterly Feb 1954
Science Fiction Quarterly (UK) #7 1954
* First Job, (ss) The Saint Detective Magazine Sep 1957
* Hallucination, (vi) Thrilling Wonder Stories Aug 1952
Thrilling Wonder Stories (UK) Mar 1953
* Is There a Wife After Death?, (ss) Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine Jan 1972
* It's Not Fair, (ss) Trapped Detective Story Magazine Aug 1958
* The Logical Life, (vi) Science Fiction Stories May 1958
The Original Science Fiction Stories (UK) #3 1958
* Major Venture and the Missing Satellite, (ss) Startling Stories Aug 1952; (Major Venture—a parody of Captain Future).
* Murder Blooms, (ss) Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine Apr 1979
* One More for Tonight!, (ss) Sure-Fire Detective Stories Apr 1957
* The Ship (Charles wrote with William F. Nolan), (ss) Inside Mar 1955
* Tarzan Goes Ape, (ss) Gent Feb 1957
* Touch, (ss) Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine Jul 1979
* The Traders, (ss) Escapade Feb 1958
* Triple Indemnity, (ss) Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine Sep 1979
_____, ed.
* Editor:
___ Gamma magazine.
David (stepson)
December 1, 2012
@>>Dad: As you ascend to Heaven to meet G-D,
Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers are going to take you aboard their bullet shaped, tail finned 1930's Rocket Ship. They are going to show you what you have always wanted to see, the marvels of the Universe, all of the colorful planets, novas and nebulas and galaxies that you daydreamed about as a child. When you get to Heaven, G-D will welcome your soul and Life Force and intelligence which G-D will use to further design and expand the ever growing universes. G-D bless you and your imagination. you will be missed so :(
November 23, 2012
http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/fritch_charles_e
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