Frederick Max Billings

BILLINGS, Frederick Max, 81, Community Supporter and Business Owner in Long Beach. The Billings family left the farm in Iowa in 1927 and traveled by train to Long Beach. They settled and opened the first Billings Paint Company in Compton. Fred Billings served in the Air Force in World War II and the Korean Conflict, and was a member of the 452 Wing of the Air Force, a group of mostly Long Beach men. When Fred returned from the service, he and his brother Jim opened the Paint Store on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore. He and Jim later opened the current Billings Paint and Hardware, also in Belmont Shore. Fred was actively involved in the Belmont Shore Business Association and Belmont Shore Parking Commission until his retirement in 1983. He was also a member of the Belmont Shore Lions Club and the Long Beach Casting Club and was honored by the Long Beach City Council for his work in his neighborhood in the Los Altos area of Long Beach, where he was a res ident for 46 years. He built two hand-crafted wooden boats and was always available to help friends, neighbors, and his children work on their houses, or to help his grandchildren work on school projects. After retiring, Fred traveled extensively fishing and fly fishing in Belize, Costa Rica, Honduras, Venzuela, Chile, Mexico, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Canada, Alaska, Arizona, California, Oregon, Montana and Wyoming. He also played golf, loved gardening, and started running and mountain biking to sta y in shape for his many adventures which included climbing Mt. Whitney at age 70, and riding pack horses into the Montana Mountains to fly fish with his buddy Bob Parmenter. His greatest pleasure came from spending time with his family, his wife of 50 years, Kay; his children Sandy (and Ernie), Dana (and Mary), and Carla (and Tom) and his grandchildren Danielle, Julianne, Nerissa, Paige, Katie, and Sophia. He is also survived by his sister Kathryn (and Bob), his sister-in-law Jean (and Harvey) and nieces a nd nephews, Lowell, Darrell, Doug, Sherry, Linda, Becky, Karen and Steve. He died peacefully at home with his family on October 31, 2002. He will be missed forever by his family, friends, neighbors and the city he loved. Memorial Services will be held on Monday, November 4th at 11:00 AM at the Stricklin/Snively Chapel, 5001 Lakewood Blvd.,