Frederick V. Cruea

ST. PARIS – On the 14th of October 2025, Frederick V. Cruea completed his arduous, earthly journey and finally found his true sense of serenity at the age of 76.

Frederick was preceded in death by his faithful loving wife of 9 years, Dorothy "Dottie" J. Hinton of Columbus, Ohio, his parents Wilfred and Hilda (Barga) Cruea, his brother Ronald L. Cruea of Troy, Ohio, and his grandson Joseph (Joey) R. Seger of Pleasant Hill, Ohio.

Frederick is survived by his two daughters from his first marriage Laura (Ronald) Seger of Pleasant Hill, Ohio, Penny (Russell) Cantrell of Urbana, Ohio, and his two stepdaughters by his second marriage; M. Colleen Fitzpatrick of Connecticut, and Pamela S. (James) Plunket of Maine; his sister Sheila Gold of Sidney and his brother James (Mary) Cruea of Troy; one grandson, Brian Seger of Pleasant Hill, Ohio, one niece and several nephews, and his two furry little companions Linus and Miss Kitty.

After surviving a tumultuous childhood of transient familial homes and utterly independent teen years, Frederick was a 1967 graduate of Troy High School and began college at Sinclair Community College when the U.S. Army came calling. He proudly served four years in the United States Army Security Agency during the Vietnam era.

He retired from AT&T (formerly The Ohio Bell Telephone Company) after 36 years. In the beginning years of his retirement, he enjoyed riding his Harley Davidson "Fat Boy" motorcycle on solo road trips and with the Ohio Patriot Guard Riders and HOG (Harley Owners Group) and The Old Coots on Scoots.

He also enjoyed woodworking, working on, and collecting old mechanical clocks and caring for his small farm. As age and illness set in, he had to give up his motorcycle riding and using power tools. He spent his later years reading and studying WWII ETO (as he had done since he was a teenager), and doing genealogy research of the Cruea, Penny & Barga family names.

He found great delight in driving his Jaguar XK8. He said, "it only took me 74 years to get one." He was a 4th degree knight in the Knights of Columbus and a member of The American Legion and Jaguar Forum. Previously, he had been a highly active parishioner at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in St. Paris, Ohio, contributing much time and talent for several improvements there.

Frederick hoped that he would be remembered for his unusual, and often self-deprecating sense of humor and his willingness to be of assistance to others.

Vigil calling hours for friends and family will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 at the ATKINS, SHIVELY & VERNON Funeral Home, 216 S. Springfield St., St, Paris, Ohio.

A Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025 in Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 121 E Walnut St., St. Paris, Ohio, with Father Greg Konerman officiating.

Burial will follow at Riverside Cemetery, Troy, Ohio, where military honors will be rendered by the United States Army and the Veterans Elite Tribute Squad, Piqua, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, a tax-deductible contribution in Frederick's name may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.vernonfh.com.