First and foremost, Sincerest Condolences to Val, the family, other relatives and Fred's many friends! So sorry for your loss! This is a loss to all of us.
A few thoughts and highlights of Fred and to the family:
The name ‘Bierwiler’ is more than a passing happenstance in my life! It began with Dave, with whom I went to junior high and high school, and who was practically single-handedly instrumental in forming a group of similarly-minded guys into a troop of Explorer Air Scouts in the mid-1960’s, during which we got to spend a fair amount of time at the airport, which was fun, and meet such dignitaries as X-15 pilot Captain Joe Engel [later Major General, now retired], complete with autographed photo, and generally hang out around airplanes and other cool stuff. Dave was the only ‘pilot’ among us, and I recall riding along several times during Dave’s practice runs. Fun times! But I digress…
Fred and Val were always in the background during those days, lending moral support to us boys. I didn’t really come to know Fred until much later, in 1978, when I got my first real job out of college… at Midland Bank as the Field Adjuster’ … the ‘Outside’ man. The outside man checked floor plan inventory and delivered ‘love notes’ from the lenders (such as Fred) to customers who seemed to be deliberately avoiding eye contact with the lender and perhaps needing a ‘nudge’. When nudge came to push came to shove, I changed hats and became the repo guy, that is, when we were lucky enough to find the collateral …. Fred ran the Selover Buick dealer desk in the indirect loan department. There was a sort-of ‘bond’ between George Selover and Fred. If George liked the deal, Fred bought it. If the deal soured and Fred returned it to George, George would take it (or whatever was left of it) back, clearly a result of the mutual respect between Fred and George.
It was only after a few months that I was able to take advantage of an opportunity early on in my outside job to make the move ‘inside’, to a Unit Manager desk immediately in front of Mr. Fred’s ‘Selover desk’! THAT was a very big deal! Being under Fred’s wing! It was my pleasure to learn the art of buying dealer paper from the ‘master’, Fred. Once in a while a disgruntled customer would find his way to my desk to have speaks with me in a most unpleasant tone about how I caused his car to be repo’d… and more than once, Fred provided ‘interference’ between me and the irate customer by simply stepping around his desk, and over to my desk and placing his rather formidable self between me and the irate customer. Fred would then very disarmingly ask, “Hello, I’m Fred, can I help?” and thereby quickly diffusing a potentially nasty situation. Fred was always the consummate friend and public relations guy! THAT was just 'Fred'! I do also recall that Fred got a lot of good ‘mileage’ in the form of smiles and respect from the ‘Silver Beaver’ award!
After Fred and I went our separate ways, Fred would make a point of stopping by where ever I was at, or I would find him over at Selover’s doing his ‘thing’ - to say ‘hello’ and chat and ‘catch-up’ with the happenings at the bank, family, and about the tribulations of the ‘Arizona’ lifestyle, travel and oil painting…. Yes, Fred will always own a piece of my history and will be very well remembered.
Finally, it comforts me to believe that Fred is now in a better place, and he's already asked Saint Peter, "Hello, I'm Fred, can I help?"
- Ron Pearson