Fred "Fritz" Herbst

Fritz passed away peacefully at his home with his family by his side. Fritz was born in Mitchell, Nebraska, the youngest of 5 children of Carl and Mollie Derr Herbst. He was predeceased by his parents and his siblings, Alice, Carl, Dorothy and Jo. Fritz is survived by his loving wife of 70 years, Kathleen “Kay”, son Kenneth (Shelly) Herbst of Milwaukie, OR, daughter Molly (Larry) Klingerman of Moyock, NC, 4 grandchildren, Tanya Sanders, Kimberly Ellington, Ty Herbst, Kylie Stevens and 11 great grandchildren, the ones that brought him joy as they loved to be teased by GGFritz. Plus many nieces, nephews and friends.

As a small child the Herbst family left Nebraska in 1936 and settled in the Sunnyside area of Washington. Fritz was very proud of his service in the US Army. He enlisted near his 17th birthday. After 12 weeks of Boot Camp, April 1949, he was assigned to an elite group of men, hand-picked to serve with the TRUST Troopers in Trieste, Italy. He became a member of the 88th Blue Devil Division, 351st Infantry Regiment Mountain Troops. Their job was to keep the Red Army from invading Northern Italy and Yugoslavia. This was during the cold war, but it wasn’t always cold. They encountered booby traps, etc. Fritz served on many Military Honor Guards and was nominated to be considered to serve at the National Arlington Cemetery. Following a 3 ½ year deployment, he chose to be discharged, September 18th, 1952. Fritz met Kay the day he came home from the service. He enrolled in college a few months later and Fritz and Kay started their life together, March 7, 1953.

Fritz started his career with West Coast Airlines, April 1955 and after enduring 5 airline mergers he retired May 1988 from Northwest Airlines. His goal was to spend more time with family, the farm in Aurora, and the Arabian horses.

Fritz had many interests, mostly with animals. He loved his special dogs, Mickey, Annie, Sophie, Geenie, and Rangler. Fritz grew up working the family farm with draft horses and always had a special way in handling them. Arabian horses entered his life in 1963. He was involved in all aspects of owning Arabians. Breeding, trainings, showing, judging, teaching. He mentored many and many remain friends today. His favorite horses were El-Ga’zi and Kovada. The Aurora farm was sold in 2005 and made Jefferson his new home. Many of these final years were spent camping with Kay and their two Arabians trail riding in the Cascade Mountains.

The true value of any man is how they lived life. Fritz’ granddaughter Kylie wrote from her heart how she and many others thought of this special man.

“The world lost an incredible soul. My grandfather lived a beautiful and full life. He was a kind and loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and so much more to so many people. There’s no way to put into words what he meant to everyone that knew him. He was a veteran, a role model, a best friend, an animal lover, an icon, and always had a smiling face. He led a life full of love and accomplishments too great a number to list. He taught me so much about life and always led by example, the kind of person everyone should strive to be. No matter what life threw at him he always had a positive attitude and always kept moving forward with a smile on his face. Whether you needed advice or just a listening ear and a hug, he was always there. He is at the center of some of the most incredible memories and he will never be forgotten. I love you so much grandpa. Heaven is shining brighter today than it ever has and it has received the most beautiful soul. Until I see you again, rest easy.”

A private military burial with honors will be held at a later date at Willamette National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Fritz’ name may be made to your local Humane society.