1937 - 2025
Fred leaves behind those who loved him deeply, including his son Mark Edsel MacDonald Dehmer, as well as his chosen children by heart and soul, Christine and John Conklin. He is also survived by Anthony Manibusan and Linda Trites, his nephew Stephen Santos, niece Lori Santro (Santos) and her husband Jim Chambers, and his niece Kelly Carrol (Foxworth) and her husband Paul Carrol, along with a multitude of grand nieces and nephews and great-grand nieces and nephews.
Fred was born in Cambridge, MA on March 30, 1937. He loved his home city. From a young age, his life was shaped by his deep involvement in the Boy Scouts, where he reached top honors of Eagle Scout and Order of the Arrow. It was through Scouting that he developed a lifelong interest in stamp collecting, which later expanded into a passion of any and all historical collectibles, earning him the reputation of a living encyclopedia of world history.
Fred attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, where he distinguished himself as a standout football player and track and field athlete. His leadership and character were widely recognized, as he was voted senior class President and Prom King.
In 1956, Fred joined the Army, serving until 1959, as a cryptographer. Following his military service, he began his professional career at the Polaroid Corporation, while simultaneously attending Dean College in Franklin, MA for his engineering degree. During this period, he met the love of his life, Gail, and together they began building their family. He was the first in his family to earn a college degree—an achievement of great pride.
They moved to Bellingham, MA in 1965 where Fred lived till his passing.
Above all else, Fred will be remembered for his charitable nature to all he met. Whether through personal support, financial help, or connecting others with resources, if anybody needed help, Fred was there with his checkbook or his contacts. His devotion to veterans’ causes defined much of his life’s purpose. Veterans organizations were his life’s legacy, and in keeping with that commitment, his estate will be donated to various veterans groups and a scholarship fund at the Bellingham High School.
To honor Fred’s memory, his family asks that others live by the question he wished to leave behind as his legacy: “What have you done for your fellow man?”
There will be no public funeral services. A private family burial at a later date at the Massachusetts National Cemetery will be held.
