Fred Meadows, Jr.

Van Frederick Meadows, Jr, known more affectionately as Fred or Freddy, died unexpectedly the morning of April 5, 2025 at his home in Burlington, NC. He was 67 years old. Fred was born in Orlando, Florida May 24, 1957, and was raised in Plantation, Florida.

He is survived by his wife, Sheila (Meece) Meadows, his three sons, Logan Meadows (Kim) of Burlington, NC, Tyler Meadows (Shannon) of Charlotte, NC, and Andrew Meadows (Hally) of Charlotte, NC; mother, Marcia, and sister Amy, both of Lake Placid, Florida; five adored grandchildren, along with several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Van, and his sister, Laurie.

Fred was a multi-sport star athlete at Plantation High School, where he was dubbed “skinny Freddy Meadows” by a sportswriter, and earned a football scholarship to Western Carolina University, in Cullowhee, NC in 1975, where he excelled as a Catamount. He met the love of his life, Sheila, soon after arriving on the WCU campus, and the affection never dwindled.

His love of the mountains and mountain friends led him to make his home in Asheville, NC until 2022, when he moved to Burlington for retirement, after decades in the food distribution business. These retirement years were spent on the golf course, traveling, playing fantasy sports, laughing with the grandkids, and enjoying life with those he cared about.

Fred was a familiar face in the Asheville community, especially where sports were concerned. He was an active parent-coach then number-one-fan of his three sons and enjoyed every minute of involvement, whether they were youngsters or young adults. He loved a crowd and was a surrogate dad to many family and friends, always providing enough food for an army and an open door at their home.

Fred’s hobbies also included having the perfect lawn, collecting sports memorabilia, and making those around him feel loved and appreciated. He was a staunch competitor, whether at sports, card games, board games, drafting the perfect fantasy team, horseshoes, or any other matter of competition over the years. Having grown up near the ocean, he loved the beach and especially beach trips with the family, body surfing and riding waves.

Freddy is beloved by many family and friends. He has been described as “everyone’s best friend”. His laughter filled a room and made those around him feel at ease. His was a life of living well and loving well.

A memorial service celebrating Fred’s life will be held 5:00PM, Sunday, April 13, 2025, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 587 Haywood Road, Asheville, NC.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Highland Football Club in Asheville to honor Fred’s name would be appreciated.https://givebutter.com/FredMeadows