Fred G. "Fritz" Pinkerman

     Fred G. (Fritz) Pinkerman, 83, resident of Presbyterian Village of Hollidaysburg, passed away Sunday, July 26, 2020, of Parkinson’s Disease.  He was born in Adrian, Michigan, on April 16, 1937, to the late Marie Leone Nickloy and George Linville Pinkerman.  He married his college sweetheart, Sylvia Jane McCracken, on June 27, 1959, at the First Methodist Church in Adrian, Michigan.  He was a graduate of Adrian High School, Adrian College (Bachelor of Science in Biology), and Michigan State University (Master of Science in Environmental Education).  He was also a veteran of the United States Army and an ardent fan of University of Michigan football.

     Fritz was a teacher at Bedford High School, Temperance, Michigan, for 40 years, teaching advanced biology.  This led to his attending summer programs sponsored by the National Science Foundation which included housing for his family.  An interesting program was held at the University of Colorado in Boulder, just a few miles from Rocky Mountain National Park.  He took Syl and the kids hiking in the Rockies, which led to his development of an environmental education class named “Bedford Outdoor Experiences.”  This was a class teaching safety and environmental issues for the Bedford Adult Education Department, culminating in backpacking trips to the Smoky Mountains, Isle Royale, and the Niagara Escarpment (Bruce Trail.)

     Fritz had a life-long love of fishing.  He was a U.S. Coast Guard licensed fishing charter boat captain on all of the Great Lakes, teaching his customers how to catch large salmon and walleye.  He was a member of the Michigan Charter Boat Association, serving as an officer and meeting other charter captains.  After many years doing what he loved, “Captain Fritz” retired and with Sylvia moved to Florence, South Carolina, where they lived on Lake Oakdale and enjoyed their children and grandchildren. He was a member of the Florence Blue Water Fishing Club, the “Golden K” Kiwanis Club, and St. Luke Lutheran Church.

     In 2017, the couple moved to Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, and moved into the Inglenook Apartments at Presbyterian Village where they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with family and friends.  He will be missed by his many friends at Inglenook where he enjoyed playing practical jokes, playing pinochle and giving a presentation (including video) about his experiences as a charter fishing captain.  He was known for his sense of humor.

     Besides his wife, Sylvia, Fritz is survived by his daughter Michelle (Micki) Marie Samson (Michael) of Gallitzin, Pennsylvania; and son, Patrick Kelly Pinkerman (Denise), of Florence, South Carolina. He loved his grandchildren Andrew Michael Samson, of Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania; Caitlin Michelle Samson, of Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania; Tessa Nicole Pinkerman and Kayla Grace Pinkerman of Florence, South Carolina.  He is also survived by his loving great-grandchildren Juliana Elizabeth Nedimyer, of Tyrone, Pennsylvania, and Preston Andrew Samson and Dominic James Samson of Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania.

    Fritz is also survived by his brother, Lynn Norman Pinkerman (Peggy), of Loudon, Tennessee; as well as nephews Jayson (Christine) of Hilliard, Ohio, and Gary (Sarah) of Frisco, Texas. 

   Fritz was predeceased by his parents and his sister-in-law, Roberta Josephine Crowley.  He is survived by Roberta’s children, Michael Edward Crowley (Patti), of Stillwater, Oklahoma and Rhonda Sue Crowley Cook, of Sedalia, Missouri. 

     Fritz had a large extended family who often got together for holidays at either the “up-north” residence of grandparents George and Marie or at Fritz and Syl’s residence in Temperance, Michigan.

     A Fisherman’s Prayer: “God, Grant me that I may live to fish until my dying day, and when my final cast I’ve made, and life has slipped away, I pray that God’s great landing net will catch me in its sweep and in His mercy, God will judge me big enough to keep.”   (Anonymous)

     Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.  (1 Corinthians 13:13)

      A Celebration of Life will be held for Fritz at a later date. 

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