Frederick A. Hesketh

1937 - 2021

Generous and kind, intelligent and witty, Frederick A. Hesketh, beloved husband of Yolande Hesketh, passed away peacefully on Monday, September 27th and was greeted at heaven's gates by his grandson Douglas Parker Hesketh. Fred was a devoted husband of 61 years who loved his wife fiercely. He was an active father to five children and the playful and awe-stricken Grandpa/Papa to 18 beautiful grandchildren. Fred was born on May 23, 1937, to Joseph and Anna Hesketh in Providence, RI. He grew up in Cranston, alongside his brother Joe and sisters Diane (Carpenter) and Elaine (Grady). As a youngster, he was an active baseball player and a member of the Fife and Drum Corps. Fred studied at the University of Rhode Island where, as a student, he met the love of his life through close friends. Yolande supported Fred as he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering, graduating in 1959. He continued his studies at Yale University, where he earned a Masters in Highway Traffic Engineering. His family began in 1960 and grew and grew and grew. Fred is the proud father of Todd Hesketh of Simsbury, and his beloved children Douglas, Steven, Eric, and Jojo; Guy Hesketh of Granby, his wife Kathleen and his children Jameson, Ali (Spencer), Taryn (Dylan), and Cailin; Cynthia Calitri of West Hartford, her husband Edward and her children Nicholas (Maguire), Tyler, and Samantha; Scott Hesketh of Granby and his children Zachary, Andrew, and Ellen, and Joy Tierney and her children Mckenna, Brennan, Delaney, and Keaton. Fred's career began with the Rhode Island Department of Public Works where he spent 10 years. He moved his family to Bloomfield, Connecticut in 1969 in order to join the firm of Morton S. Fine. Years later, in 1976, Fred became the primary owner and established a "new" company - F. A. Hesketh and Associates, Inc. His impact as an engineer can be seen all over New England, most notably in the roadway and site improvements in hundreds of area developments, including Foxwoods Casino and Westfarms Mall. He was at the helm of the company until his retirement in 1998, when his 3 sons, Todd, Guy, and Scott and his trusted friend and right-hand man, David Ziaks, took control. Fred's dreams came true in 1990, when he purchased a lake house in Woodstock, CT to enjoy with his wife, children and grandchildren. "The beachhouse" became a family staple for the next 20 years, as family gathered together to fish, eat, laugh, roast marshmallows, catch worms and turtles, launch fireworks, waterski, tube, and ride the chariot. When not enjoying sand between the toes, you could find Fred on many day trips with any number of his beloved grandchildren to either the Holyoke Children's Museum, the Maritime Aquarium, Roaring Brook Nature Center, or the Mystic Aquarium. Throughout his lifetime, Fred enjoyed traveling the world with Yolande, having visited 63 countries throughout Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa. He always studied languages for months before he traveled to a new country, in order to be able to greet new friends in their native language. One of his favorite trips was to Vietnam, the only trip he ever repeated in his lifetime. He also visited 49 of the 50 United States of America. Fred was an avid reader and author. He introduced his children and grandchildren to reading and literature at an early age through thousands of trips to local libraries throughout the state. While battling cancer in the early 1990s, Fred decided to take an active role in medical affairs, which he documented in a book he authored and published - In Control: A Cancer Victim Describes His Struggle to Gain Control of the Mind and the Body. In addition to work and family, Fred was devoted to his country, his church, and his community. He served in the United States Army with the 137th Signal Company. He served as a Reader and Eucharistic Minister at Sacred Heart Church in Bloomfield, where he also served on the Parish Council, the Lazarus Committee, was editor of the quarterly parish newsletter, The Gathering, and authored The History of the Catholic Church in Bloomfield, Connecticut. He donated endless hours to the Wintonbury Historical Society, both as President and as researcher and author of Bloomfield and the Civil War. He donated thousands of hours volunteering with the Bloomfield Journal, the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association. Calling hours for Fred will be held on Friday, October 1, 2021, from 4-7 p.m. at the Carmon Windsor Funeral Home, 807 Bloomfield Ave., Windsor. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, October 2, beginning at 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church, 26 Wintonbury Ave., Bloomfield. Guests are asked to please go directly to the church. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Fred's memory to Sacred Heart Church, 26 Wintonbury Ave., Bloomfield, CT 06002 or to the American Cancer Society, 825 Brook St. I-91 Tech Ctr., Rocky Hill, CT 06067. To leave an online message of condolence for his family, please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com.