Frederick H. Van Valkenburg

1936 - 2019

Frederick Homer Van Valkenburg passed away peacefully at St. Francis Hospital on July 8, 2019 at the age of 83. Born on February 27, 1936 in Mineola, NY, he was the son of the late Homer and Winifred (Stuart) Van Valkenburg and grew up in Cooperstown, NY, graduating from Cooperstown High School. He joined the US Navy in 1957 and went home to Cooperstown where he met his wife-to-be, Judy. After marriage they moved to Connecticut where Fred attended Hartford Airline School. He was employed as an agent for TWA for 11 years. Fred retired from Brown Trucking. Fred is survived by his wife of 57 years, Judith Michalak Van Valkenburg and daughter Karen Curti and her husband Mark, son James and his wife Lynne, daughter-in-law Marianne Van Valkenburg, wife of his eldest son William who predeceased him. He leaves four grandchildren, Cameron and Tate Van Valkenburg of Fitzwilliam, NH, and Vanessa and Madelyn Curti of Suffield; as well as several cousins in England. Fred was happiest when outdoors enjoying nature. He loved canoeing on Lake Otsego, camping and hiking, mountain climbing in the Adirondacks and Maine vacations; and considered the outdoors his church. His love of music was evident when he played the harmonica and he was known to be a good whistler. Fred loved to putter around the house and tackled many fix-it projects. He came up with many solutions with his inventiveness. Those who loved Fred knew him as a kind and gentle man. "Keep It Simple" was his motto. His family will receive friends on Saturday, July 13th from 10 AM-12 PM at the Windsor Locks Funeral Home, 441 Spring St., Windsor Locks with a Celebration of Life Service at 12 Noon. Burial will be private at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to either the Gardner High School Scholarship Fund for the Bill Van Valkenburg Memorial Scholarship, 200 Catherine St., Gardner, MA 01440 or the Connecticut Humane Society, 701 Russell Rd., Newington, CT 06111 or online (give.cthumane.org). For online condolences, please visit www.windsorlocksfuneralhome.com.