Born on May 27, 1934, to Max and Irene Stern of New York City, he played basketball in high school as part of a state championship team and graduated with a degree in engineering from City College of New York.
Upon realizing that short sleeved dress shirts and pocket protectors were not for him, he left engineering and moved to Florida in the early 1960s to pursue a career as an entrepreneur. With nothing but determination and an unrelenting work ethic, he founded and ran several successful businesses including Kinetic Sales and Lawrence Associates which represented electronics manufacturers at the dawn of the information age. He contributed to several projects for NASA and the military, including the F-15 fighter jet. He helped market electronic fish finding equipment that is now standard on most fishing vessels. An admitted workaholic, Fred brokered real estate and businesses well into his 80s.
He was married to Lola Lawrence (née Frateschi ) of Lewiston Maine for 54 years before her passing from COVID in August, 2021. Together, they raised her three children from her previous marriage, Marcus and Nila Thompson of Orlando, Florida, and Gerry Lawrence (deceased 2021) who took Fred's last name when he began working for him.
He also had two of his own children from a previous marriage, Lisa Schaerer of San Diego and Mark Lawrence of Los Angeles.
In addition, he is survived by nine grandchildren and many great grandchildren.
Despite his busy schedule, Fred found time to follow in his father’s passion for aviation by becoming an instrument-rated pilot. Fred owned a Cessna and often flew his friends and family on adventures and business trips. He also enjoyed boating while living on the Florida Intracoastal waterway. His many travels included Costa Rica and Italy. Before he passed away, he was proud to report that he had checked off all the items on his bucket list.
He will be cremated at Loomis Funeral Home in Apopka, Florida and laid to rest beside his beloved Lola in Lewiston, Maine at Mount Hope Cemetery.
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