Fredrick Orville Shockley

April 19, 1934 - April 3, 2010

Husband ... Father ... Friend ... Neighbor ... Manager ... Fred

On April 3rd, 2010 at Marcus Daly Hospice in Hamilton, Montana, Fred Shockley passed on in comfort and with his loving family. He had been fighting Congestive Heart Failure and Myleodysplastic Syndrome for several months.

Surviving Fred is his wife, Karen Shockley; daughter Janae Ciszek and her family, husband Mike, son Braden, and daughter Kailey; and his son Jared Shockley. Also surviving Fred is his sisters Dorris Plumeri and Audrey Frank and his brother Leon Shockley, along with his brother-in-law Dick Borden and sister-in-law LaRae Hoskins.

Along with family members, Fred had many close friends over the years, both passing before and surviving him. While not family members, the Johnson-Smith family were like family to the Shockleys. We give thanks to Ray; Jennifer; Wendy and her son Zac; Nancy and her family Doug, Shawn, Issabella, and Patrick; and Jay for being family and miss Jim and Rita as they passed before him.

Fred liked to spend time after his retirement tying flies for fly-fishing, fly-fishing in the rivers of Montana with his son Jared and his friend Don Contraman, and hunting big game and upland birds with his brother-in-law Dick Borden and his nephew Bob Borden.

This site is meant to be a celebration of his life. Sections will be added, including a section where visitors can post information, stories, photos and videos about Fred. Please check back often for updates.

  • 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.

  • I am standing on the sea shore,
    A ship sails in the morning breeze and starts for the ocean.
    She is an object of beauty and I stand watching her
    Till at last she fades on the horizon and someone at my side says:
    "She is gone."

    Gone! Where?
    Gone from my sight - that is all.
    She is just as large in the masts, hull and spars as she was when I saw her
    And just as able to bear her load of living freight to its destination.
    The diminished size and total loss of sight is in me,
    not in her.

    And just at the moment when someone at my side says,
    "She is gone",

    There are others who are watching her coming, and other voices take up a glad shout:
    "There she comes"
    - and that is dying. An horizon and just the limit of our sight.

    Lift us up, Oh Lord, that we may see further.

    Bishop Brent
    1862 - 1926

    Fred will be missed dearly by my whole Family and I will miss the companionship we shared together, Fred was a good man! Though we may not see him He will forever be apart of our lives and thoughts, I'm sorry for your loss.

  • Kimkay’s blog post

  • Fred had requested that there be no funeral or services upon his passing. To honor those wishes, there is no funeral or services planned.

    Instead, the Shockley family hosted a summer Celebration of Life for Fred at the home he shared with is wife, Karen, in Stevensville, Montana on Saturday, July 17th, 2010. This celebration gave Fred's friends and family an opportunity to remember him through stories and sharing pictures and videos.