Fred Wilbur

1943 - 2025

Fred Wilbur, 82, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on Dec. 30, 2025, after a battle with an aggressive form of cancer.
Born on Oct. 2, 1943, Fred grew up in Greencastle, Indiana and graduated from Greencastle High School. He began college at Indiana University and studied at a variety of institutions until finally achieving his goal of a bachelor's degree almost 40 years later. His career in software development at ten companies, including IBM, Wang Labs, and Digital, led him to locations all over the United States and overseas. After raising six children from his first two marriages, Fred reconnected and found true love with Rita Nichols, whom he had brought to a dance in Greencastle when they were thirteen. In 1991, they married and began building a life and pottery studio together. After completing his college degree, Fred retired from working in corporate America and began work according to his own agenda. He helped his wife Rita move her pottery studio from New Hampshire to western Pennsylvania. There, they designed and constructed a beautiful house on 26 acres in Rochester Mills with help from local Amish craftsmen.
Fred loved helping other people grow, learn, and develop. He actively pursued opportunities to become a mentor and often performed random acts of kindness. He enjoyed hiking mountains, making pottery, playing piano, reading, watching the sun set, and writing stories. His writing included a memoir titled 52 Answers that can be found on Amazon. He was a fantastic pickleball player who encouraged a sense of community (and healthy competition) amongst all who played with him. He was also an avid card player who loved to shoot the moon in Hearts. Fred had an insatiable curiosity and uncompromising integrity. He considered himself a "whimsical and passionate seeker of truth".
Fred was predeceased by his parents, Fred and Helen, his siblings, Gary,Dawn, Diane, and Brian, and one of his stepchildren, Eric Harrold. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Rita Nichols; his children: Serena Elbert, Kirsten Morrow, Eric Wilbur, Chris Wilbur, Adam Wilbur, and Johanna Wilbur; his stepchildren: Jennifer Harper and Paula Rowell; a multitude of beloved grandchildren, great-grandchildren and extended family, as well as many close friends. He will be deeply missed by those who knew him well. His memory will be carried on in conversations, cribbage games, pickleball matches, a well-made Shino coffee cup, and most of all, by stories told and re-told by his loved ones.
In lieu of funeral services, Fred's remains will be scattered in a private family gathering in Colorado this summer.