Fred W. Lange

1932 - 2020

Fred W. Lange
Carl Frederick "Fred" William Lange was born on July 13, 1932 in Jersey City, NJ. Growing up in Staten Island, NY, Fred would play in numerous basketball and baseball leagues and was a star pitcher for Curtis High School and Port Richmond High School. Fred attended Wagner College, where he also played baseball, and received a B.A. in Economics in 1953.
Drafted into the U.S. Army from 1953-1955 during the Korean War, Fred served as a radio operator and played in the corps' baseball league while stationed in Germany — a cherished memory of his was striking out popular Yankees left fielder Johnny Blanchard. Returning home, Fred would pursue his MBA at NYU.
Fred met his wife, Mary Miklus, at a Brooklyn YMCA dance in 1957. They married during a snowstorm in 1958 and raised their children Diane and Rob in the Stapleton Heights section of Staten Island. They remained married and enjoyed their time together for 58 years until Mary's passing in 2016.
Breaking into Wall Street in the early 1960s, Fred had a great interest in the stock market. He joined Blair & Co. in 1965, and within a year became the firm's Director of Research and ran the Blair Fund, then the nation's top-rated fund. Fred would become Director of Research at Neuwirth & Co., where he founded private investment firm Lange Financial Services in 1972. Fred moved to Charter New England in 1976, where he turned to running Lange Financial Services full-time. In 1982, he was joined by his son, Rob, whom he would work with proudly for the next 38 years and enjoyed a dynamic relationship with in and out of the office.
A member of the New York Society of Security Analysts, Fred was quoted often in The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, USA Today, and The Mansfield Charts on its Blue Ribbon Panel of top securities analysts, displaying not only his keen eye for stock picking, but his exceptional knowledge of market trends. He was a mentor and friend to many prominent figures on the street, and his prowess and passion for helping people in the stock market were second to none.
Fred was a lifelong member of the Board of Trustees of Wagner College, chairing both its Finance and Investment committees and managing Wagner's endowment for many years. He truly enjoyed his board meetings and many friendships with the president, the board members, Wagner faculty, and students. The college conferred him an honorary PhD in Finance in 2006 for his contributions.
Among his other pursuits, Fred was an avid tennis player, participating in amateur and semi-pro tournaments ranging from Staten Island to West Palm Beach, FL. He served as the President of the Staten Island Tennis Association from 1980-1982.
Additionally, Fred was a founding member of Crystal Springs Swim & Tennis Club in Hardyston, NJ, and was influential in its development into a golf resort. He enjoyed playing golf at all of the Crystal Springs golf courses.
In 1990, along with Rob, Fred started Majestic Hills Inc., a land management company responsible for refurbishing and enhancing a dairy farm in Wantage, NJ. He would spend weekends at the farm before moving there in 1998. He greatly enjoyed ATVing, snowmobiling, and relaxing by the pool.
He attended numerous AKC dog shows that his daughter Diane competed in. He enjoyed a great friendship with his daughter-in-law, Denise, who supported him in many different ways.
Above all, Fred loved his three grandchildren, and was a fixture at every one of their games, races, concerts, and performances for the better part of two decades.
A devoted sports fan — favoring the Knicks, Mets, and NY Giants, and a stalwart Brooklyn Dodgers fan — Fred could recite over a half-century's worth of starting line- ups and sports minutiae with aplomb. Never one to turn down a physical or intellectual challenge, he reveled in face-offs in shuffle board, Sudoko, ping pong, and free throw- shooting with his family and friends. He loved his dogs, Casey and Kerry, his Cadillacs, and was particularly keen on calculating the number of times he took the ferry from Staten Island to lower Manhattan. He was one of a kind, and will truly be missed.
Fred is predeceased by his parents, Helen and Fred Lange; sister, Marylin Keshecki; and wife, Mary Elizabeth Lange. He is survived by his son, Rob, daughter-in-law, Denise, and grandchildren Brian, Sean, and Nicole, of Wantage, NJ; daughter Diane, of Greeley, PA; and brother Robert and nephew Bobby, of East Windsor, NJ.
Visitation for Fred will be on Monday, August 17th, 2020 from 3-8PM at the Ferguson Funeral Home, 27 Third Street, Sussex, NJ 07461. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, August 18th, 11AM at the funeral home. Burial in the Fairview Cemetery will follow.
In lieu of flowers, donations to: Beemerville Fire Department, 227 Route 519, Wantage, NJ 07461 Sussex Fire Department, 25 Loomis Ave, Sussex, NJ 07461 Wantage First Aid Squad, 888 Route 23 South, Wantage, NJ 07461. Online condolences may be offered at www.fergusonfuneralhomesnj.com