Fred H. Renaud

Frederick Harrington Renaud died peacefully at home surrounded by the love of his family on March 9, 2026, at the age of 95.

Fred, also known to his grandchildren as Pepe Fred, Pepe, or just plain Pip, was a legend in our family. He was strong and kind and interested in everything and everyone, and showed those around him how to make friends anywhere.

Fred grew up on a small apple orchard in West Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his lifelong best friend and sidekick, his brother Dan (d.2018). His mother, Margaret Mary Ouellette, was a grade school teacher. His father, Henry Everett Renaud, was a gifted carpenter who worked "over the river" for the historic Vernor's ginger ale purveyor in Detroit. Fred was proud of his Canadian heritage and loved visiting family and farms from Amherstburg to Tilbury, and he always stocked his refrigerator with Vernors – and beer. He would end up traveling far from Canada, learning Italian to add to his English and French.

Fred was not a tall man, but he was very strong. He boxed briefly in high school but he knocked a friend out and that was the end of boxing. Fred wasn't a fighter. When he was 16, he took a summer job shoveling coal on the passenger sidewheel steamer "Eastern States," traveling to ports from Cleveland to the Upper Great Lakes. It was grueling work, but Fred loved the Great Lakes and had fond memories of playing baseball with the crew when they stopped at Mackinac Island.

Fred was a dual citizen of the US and Canada. At 20, he was drafted and served with the United States Air Force during the Korean War in a Forward Air Control unit known as the Mosquitoes. It was a dangerous job, and the unit would end the war with a casualty rate of 83 percent. Fred was a radio controller, and his role was to drive his jeep behind enemy lines and radio in enemy locations in order to direct air strikes. Eventually, Fred was injured and sent to recover at a hospital in Japan. Fred was proud of his service, but he seldom spoke about his wartime experiences. He cared deeply for veterans and told us to "Remember the guys who showed up."

When Fred came home to Windsor, he married his beautiful fellow adventurer, Patricia Kirwin. He studied electrical engineering at Henry Ford College on the G.I. Bill, launching a remarkable career. Fred joined Chrysler Defense to work on a classified missile defense program, taking his young family to live in Italy and Turkey in the early 1960s, where they would have an uncomfortably close vantage point on the Cuban Missile Crisis. Fred went on to join the US space program, working for Bendix on NASA's famous crawler-transporter. Fred loved tractors, especially John Deere. It was only fitting that he'd take control of the biggest tractor in the world.

Fred worked on the crawler from its inception, when paper drawings led to the development of driving techniques and other operational skills. He relocated to Kennedy Space Center to become a captain in the crawler's 20-member crew, where he supported many Apollo missions. One of his duties was to lead celebrity tours and give interviews. One such interview began: "Fred Renaud, a native of Canada, had the physique of a defenseman in the National Hockey League. He and his fellow drivers were indeed unusual men."

Fred was featured in several publications over the years, including a 1966 Life magazine issue. Fred liked to say that Elizabeth Taylor was on the cover but he was the centerfold.

After 15 years at the Cape, he joined General Dynamics Land Systems as the chief field engineer for the groundbreaking M-1 Abrams tank. For the young boy who loved tractors, this was another dream job. He worked at test facilities throughout the U.S. and beyond, and he particularly enjoyed the two years he spent testing and demonstrating the tank in Switzerland.

Too energetic to fully retire, Fred started a trucking company after leaving General Dynamics. He learned to drive a commercial truck and earned a commercial driver's license. He hired several novice drivers and helped them get a start in the transport business.

Fred had many hobbies and interests. He collected American and European antiques. He loved harness racing and enjoyed spending time with sulky drivers at Ben White Raceway over the years. He even had a horse of his own, Private Sector, which raced at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. Fred also could not be convinced that his suburban backyard was not an appropriate place to raise chickens, ducks and turkeys, much to the chagrin of his wife and neighbors. Later in life, he shared his lake property with the Moonport Modelers, a chartered remote control model aircraft club that has operated at what they call "Renaud Field" for many years. He enjoyed watching new enthusiasts study design principles in aeronautics with model aircraft and drones.

Fred was a kind and thoughtful person who rarely raised his voice. He was analytical when it came to problem solving and humble regarding his impressive accomplishments. He loved his fellow man. Fred and Pat quietly helped many people they met over the years, and maintained many decades-long friendships.

Fred's family is very grateful for the wonderful caregivers from Seniors Helping Seniors and Mederi Caretenders Hospice. They went above and beyond to care for Fred and keep him comfortable in his time of need. We could not have kept him at home without their loving care and support.

Fred is survived by his three daughters Denise (Tom), Kathe (Frank) and Michelle (Bob), as well as his ten grandchildren, whom he prayed for every night, Michelle, Lisa (Scott), Tommy and Joe (Sarah); Savannah (Paul), Luke (Lauren)and Joe; and Austin (Robyn), Tina and Scott, and twelve great-grandchildren Georgina, Max and Eric; Gus and Luci; Oona and Sunny; Jack, Freddie and Charlie; and Vivi and Madi Grace. He will be fondly remembered by brothers-in-law James and Jack, as well as his many nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Mass will be held on Tuesday, March 31, at 10:00 AM at St. Teresa Catholic Church, 203 Ojibway Avenue, Titusville.

Interment will take place on April 2 at 11:00 AM at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery, 5525 U.S. Highway 1, Mims.