Frederick G. Couch

Frederick (Fred) Couch, 81 of Mesa, AZ, formerly of Elwood and Manhattan, IL, relocated on May 30, 2025, to his forever home in heaven. Fred was born September 26, 1943, in Joliet, IL to Dennis and Pearl Couch.
Fred was preceded in death by his parents, Dennis and Pearl (Leasure) Couch; brothers Dennis and Larry (Bev); Sisters Janet (Les) Cuthrell and Judy Yates; father-in-law Arthur Harris and daughter-in-law Gayle Couch.
He is survived by his devoted wife Nancy of Mesa, AZ and sons, Steven (Cheryl) of GA and Thomas of TX; His mother-in-law Lila (Harris) Johnson of AZ. Also surviving is his sister Terri (Scott) Craig of AR and Grandsons Neil Vickers, Drew (Alysha) Vickers and Derek Vickers of IL and 1 granddaughter Amanda (Sam) Leppala of MI; and 5 great grandchildren. Brother-in-law Les Cuthrell, sister-in-law Bev Couch and numerous nieces and nephews.
Fred graduated from Peotone High School in Peotone, IL in 1961. In 1965, Fred was invited by the draft board to join and travel abroad with the US Army. During his time in the army, he was deployed to Vietnam where his main duty was making sure supplies reached the front lines. When Fred returned to IL after service, he was employed by Commonwealth Edison and worked there until his retirement in 1995. Fred married his soulmate Nancy Harris on January 17, 1970, and soon started their family. Fred taught his family to love God, love their family, and to love our country. Fred also valued his friends, which was obvious by the many friends that came to visit in the final months.
Fred's real calling was to serve others. He became a Volunteer Firefighter/EMT with the Manhattan Fire Department. Once he retired, he worked alongside many volunteers at Mid-West Food Bank and Disaster Relief, always returning to Manhattan with a truckload or trailer full of food for the Manhattan Food Pantry. Fred and Nancy attended a Memorial Day Celebration at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and Fred was hooked. He signed up right away and became a member of the John Whiteside Memorial Squad. For over 10 years, Fred was a rifleman once a week, providing military honors for our fallen veterans. It didn't stop there. After relocating to Elwood, Fred started volunteering as a gardener at the Children's Garden. Yes, Fred loved keeping busy.
Anyone that really knew Fred knows that his real joy came in December when he donned his red suit with white fur to the delight of many children. He was especially proud of the number of kids that crawled off his lap and shouted to Mom and Dad "He's the real one!" Thanks to that beautiful homegrown white beard.
The family requests in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Elwood Children's Garden, 801 N Chicago St, Elwood, IL 60421 or Faith Connection Church 14101 W Joliet Rd., Manhattan, IL 60442.
A Memorial Visitation will be held for Fred on June 30th, 2025, at Forsythe Gould Funeral Home from 10:00 A.M. until the time of Service at 12:00 P.M., with Reverend Heather Henson officiating. A Committal Service for Inurnment at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery will immediately follow, conducted with full military honors. Arrangements entrusted to Forsythe Gould Funeral Home, 507 S. State St., Manhattan, IL 60435, 815-478-3321, www.forsythegouldfh.com.