Fred Shockley - Official Obituary

HAMILTON - On the morning of April 3rd, 2010, Frederick Orville Shockley passed on from this world at the Marcus Daly Memorial Hospice and Palliative Care Center in Hamilton, MT. He passed on in comfort and with his loving family.

Fred was born in Trenton, NJ on April 19th, 1934 and was raised by his mother, Anna Dansberry, and Frank Kucharski along with his three brothers - Leon, Elliot, and Eugene - and two sisters - Doris and Audrey. He graduated from Trenton Catholic Boys' High School in Trenton and continued his education at Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute in Troy, NY receiving his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering in 1957. Upon graduating, he made his way to Los Angeles, CA and eventually landed a job at Northrup Aerospace for 10 years working on projects such as the SR-71 'Blackbird'.

In April of 1969, Fred accepted an offer to join Boeing Aerospace in Seattle, WA. During his 23 year tenure with Boeing, he worked on many projects including SRAM (Short Range Attack Missile), B-1A bomber, B-2 bomber and F-22 fighter. He ultimately retired from Boeing in 1992.

In 1969, Fred met Karen Borden while working at Boeing. On November 26, 1969, Fred and Karen wed in Reno, NV. They lived in Renton, WA until 1996 raising their children, Janae and Jared. They moved to Stevensville, MT after leaving the Seattle area.

With their move to Montana, Fred was able to fully enjoy some of his favorite activities like fly-tying and fly-fishing on the Bitterroot River with his friend Don Contraman. He was also able to hunt both bird and big game, especially enjoying hunting with his brother-in-law Richard Borden and his nephew Robert Borden.

Fred is survived by his loving wife Karen; his daughter and her family, Janae, Mike, Braden, and Kailey; and his son Jared.

To honor Fred's wishes, the family will have a celebration of his life this summer instead of funeral services. More information on this event and an online memorial for Fred is located at http://fredshockley.com/ on the internet.

The family asks friends and family to consider giving donations to Marcus Daly Memorial Hospice's General fund instead of sending flowers. The address for Marcus Daly Memorial Hospice is 1200 Westwood Drive, Hamilton, MT 59840.