Frederick James "Fred" Feliz

Frederick James Feliz died in his sleep on December 15, 2025 at his home at Dominican Oaks in Santa Cruz. He was 97.

Fred Feliz was born in Stockton, California, on January 12, 1928, to Edna Jean Robinson, a teacher, and Frederick Ponciano Feliz Jr., a legal clerk. His father died in 1930, after which he and his mother moved to Salinas, California, to be closer to both sides of the family. As a child and young man, he went by his middle name and was known to his family as Jim. He was a fourth-generation Californian.

Fred's mother was fond of travel. On summer vacations, she and Fred traveled to distant locales including the Panama Canal Zone. While in school, he was active in scouting and worked part-time for Monterey County Surveyors. He graduated from Salinas Union High School in 1946, attended the University of California, Berkeley, and graduated from San Francisco's Heald College of Engineering in 1950.

He enlisted in the Navy during the Korean War and was on active duty with the Seabees from December 1950 to November 1952 in Port Hueneme, California, and Subic Bay, The Philippines.

He met his wife, Lillian Louise Cernosek, in San Francisco in 1956 while working for International Engineering Company (IECO), a subsidiary of Morrison Knudsen. It was a whirlwind courtship. Lillian, a medical assistant, administered the vaccines Fred needed to travel to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Three weeks later, Fred left the United States and began work as an engineer, building the Karnaphuli Hydropower Station and Dam in Kaptai. The couple corresponded regularly and decided to marry.

Marriage is a complicated process when the bride and groom live on opposite sides of the world, but they were wed by proxy in Texas on July 25, 1957. Lillian joined Fred in East Pakistan. Their two children, George Frederick Feliz (1958) and Margaret "Margo" Ann Feliz (1959) were born in Kaptai. The family traveled to Thailand, Hong Kong, India, Europe, and the United States on their vacations.

Fred worked for Morrison Knudsen for 34 years, mostly overseas, on projects including the Great Salt Lake railway crossing in Utah and others that took the family to Peru and Honduras. When his oldest child entered middle school, the family settled in San Mateo, California, though Fred continued working on overseas projects for several years.

Fred was an avid tinkerer, adept in leatherwork, carpentry, and woodcrafts. He constructed several historical ships-in-a-bottle, toys for his grandchildren, and furniture. He loved fishing and target shooting and packed his own bullets. Charismatic and social, Fred quickly made friends everywhere.

Following the death of his wife in 2014, Fred traveled to Europe three times by himself. Fred had lived at Dominican Oaks in Santa Cruz, California, since 2018. He knew most of the staff and residents, greeting them by name, often with a phrase or two in their native language. He was an active participant in Bible Study, Watercolor Painting, and exercise classes.

Fred was predeceased by his daughter Margaret "Margo" Feliz. In Margo's memory the family established a scholarship at Stanford University that has helped dozens of students complete their education.

Fred is survived by his son George (Mary), grandchildren James and Michael (RC 'Wood'), and great-grandson Arthur.

The family would like to thank Hospice of Santa Cruz for their care for Fred and for the family. They are also grateful to the staff at Dominican Oaks and to Fred's friends whose kindness, visits, and help with mail and other details over the last few months was invaluable.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: The Margo Feliz Memorial Scholarship, Development Services, P.O. Box 20466, Stanford, CA 94309-0466 or to Hospice of Santa Cruz at https://www.hospicesantacruz.org.

At Fred's, request no services will be held.