Frederic I. Winslow

FREDERIC I. WINSLOW

LYMAN, NH – Frederic I. Winslow, 84, passed away on July 19, 2011 of colon cancer. He was the only son of Irving H. and Belle (Wanzer) Winslow of Dorchester, MA. Loving grandson of Myrtle (Smith) Winslow and Alice (Fuller) Wanzer. All descendants of Mayflower passengers.

Born February 6, 1927 in Durham, NC, the family returned to the Boston area in 1930 and moved to Holbrook with his fraternal grandmother. He attended Holbrook Public Schools through his sophomore year at Charles Sumner High School. He graduated from Thayer Academy, in Braintree, MA on D-Day, June 6, 1944. On July 5, 1944, following an earlier enlistment, he was called to reserve duty and trained at UVM, Burlington VT and Mass State College (now UMass) Amherst, in hopes of flight school. Flight training was curtailed in 1945 and he took a COG (convenience of the government) discharge and enlisted in Captain Eddy’s Navy (Electronics). Discharge came in August 1946 as an AETM3. He attended Union College, Schenectady, NY from 1947 to 1950 in the Electrical Engineering department and was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. In 1950, he took a leave from school and worked for General Electric at the Malta Test Station on liquid-fueled rocket engine development. Returning to Union, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1952. Following graduation, he returned to General Electric on their engineering test program where his assignments included A&OS, Schenectady, Capacitor Department in Hudson Falls, Heavy Transformer and High Voltage Lab in Pittsfield. He went off test in West Lynn in the Instrument department in 1954, where he met his late wife, Patricia Grace Gormley. In 1955, he transferred to the Heavy Military Equipment Department and was sent to Turkey for installation and operation of electronic surveillance equipment before and after the launch of “Sputnik”. He returned to the United States in September 1957 and on February 8, 1958, he and Patricia were married at Saint John The Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Swampscott, MA. A lot of traveling with General Electric followed. He went back to Turkey for a year, while Patricia lived in Athens, Greece. Then three years in Germany at Ramstein AB where he was a program support base manager. Then a year in Daytona Beach in the early phases of the Apollo space program. Finally six years in Centerport Long Island where he was Unit Manager for General Electric at Grumman Aircraft Plant 5, Lunar Module Testing. In July 1971, he left General Electric and moved with Patricia and four children to Lyman, NH.

In 1972, he was hired by New England Electric Wire Corporation of Lisbon, NH as a Product Engineer, for the Dragon wire-guided antitank weapon and thus began a long career in the wire business. He retired in May 1988 but continued as an Engineering Consultant until 2001.

While in Lisbon, he attended Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, sang tenor with the Shared Ministry Choir and played several bit parts with Upstate Players, an organization of which Patricia was a founding member and was invited to play Baldie O’Shea in Weathervane Theatre’s production of “A Man With No Importance” where he sang a tenor solo. He was a 40 year member and past-Secretary of the Lisbon Lions Club. As an instrument rated private pilot and aircraft owner, he and Patricia made many cross-country trips to California and Florida as well as local flights, during this time. Following his wife’s death in 1998, he spent winters in Daytona Beach, FL, where many GE friends still live.

In Daytona Beach, he was a member of the Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 1263, and a member of the Veterans and Businessman’s Club.

Surviving him are twin sons, Richard J. Winslow of Milford, NH and Edmund T. Winslow of Brunswick, GA, two daughters Diane E. Winslow of Donalsonville, GA and Susan P. Wells of Hampton, SC, six grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations in Fred’s memory may be made to the Lisbon Public Library, 45 School Street, Lisbon, NH 03585.

SERVICES – A calling hour will be held on Monday, July 25th at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m., immediately followed by a Funeral Rite at 11:00 a.m. Burial in Grove Hill Cemetery, Lisbon, NH.

Arrangements and care have been entrusted to the Pillsbury Phaneuf Funeral Home and Crematorium in Littleton. For more information, go to the obituary section of our website at www.pillsburyphaneuf.com.