Frederic Temple
Frederic Walton Temple
Fred was born in Melrose, MA on May 2, 1943 to John and Kathleen Temple. He grew up in Leominster, MA, graduated from Leominster High School in 1961 and enlisted in the Navy on February 24, 1966. While in boot camp at the Naval Station Great Lakes he met his future wife, Kathleen, who was serving as a Navy Wave. They married on February 25, 1967 and in 1968 Fred was deployed to Vietnam as part of the River Boat Patrol Force on a PBR from 1968 until 1969 and received multiple awards for his service while patrolling the brown waters of Vietnam. He was honorably discharged and returned to his wife and newborn daughter, going on to have another daughter and a son. Thanks to the GI Bill Fred enrolled and graduated from UMASS Boston with a degree in political science. He had several professional and managerial jobs utilizing his knowledge and skills in mechanics, but truly loved working on diesel truck engines. Fred was an avid reader, learning new things and loved a spirited debate. When not hard at work he could be found riding his motorcycle, building and flying model airplanes and doing home improvement projects or gardening. During the summer he spent time at his family vacation home on Squam Lake, NH and made the most of that time boating and fishing. Other past times he enjoyed were hunting and watching NASCAR races. Fred was a proud grandparent and adored his three grandchildren. Once his children went on to have their own families he and his wife doted on their Brittany Spaniels and became foster parents for the New England Brittany Rescue for many years. He eventually was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome as a result of his service in Vietnam and retired early from his mechanical career so he could bravely fight this battle for a few years until his untimely death from Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) on March 21, 2013. Not a day goes by where he is not greatly missed by his family.