Frederick Ralph Trimm

Frederick Ralph Trimm was born in Troy, NY, to Mary and Ralph Trimm and spent his formative years in that small town in upstate New York, not far from Albany. Fred lost his father to tuberculosis when he was only seven years old and was raised by his mother and looked after by kind priests in the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

He served as an altar boy and was able to sing and read Ukrainian, although he was not able to fully understand what he read and sang. Fred attended Catholic boys’ schools until he finally protested and wanted to go to school with GIRLS too.

He enlisted in the Navy, but after a short period at sea, he decided the army might be a better fit. He actually experienced two boot camps. He fully expected to be assigned to duty in Viet Nam, but at the last minute his orders were changed to Germany where he spent three years working in microwave communications.

Upon returning home to the United States in the early 70’s, Fred trained to become an electrician and spent a career as a foreman in industrial electrical work. Fred was proud to have been an instructor in the electrician apprenticeship program for 13 years.

There was a huge need for electricians during the construction of Denver International Airport which brought him to Colorado in 1993 where he met Susan Blatter. They married in 1995, and Fred continued his work in the greater Denver area.

In retirement, Fred worked inspecting boats at Chatfield State Park, a job that brought him joy and a love of the park. A second retirement job at Ace Hardware also brought him joy. This job gave him a chance to use his expertise in all things electrical and his knowledge of many types of tools. This job also gave him the gift of good and true friends.

Fred loved to dance and to sing the lyrics of old time TV westerns. He read voluminous novels and watched anything on the History Channel. He could name and describe any aircraft flying overhead and was truly a fountain of information about history.

Fred loved animals and could coax a goose right into the boat inspection house or space nearby.

He was proud of his two children, Jeff who is a computer whiz in Pennsylvania, and Kristin who is a nurse in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Fred was also proud of his military service and truly appreciated all the experiences and people life brought his way.

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