Frederick (Fred) James Pickard, age 83, of Lee's Summit, Missouri passed away peacefully on Friday, October 20, 2023. Fred was born on June 10th, 1940 and was the son of John and Mabel Pickard in Port Huron, Michigan. Since Port Huron is close to the Canadian border, he, of course, played ice hockey. In the warmer weather, he played and lettered in golf at Marysville High School. After high school graduation, he enlisted in the Air Force where he was stationed at Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka, Kansas, working in a hospital setting.
A friend introduced him to Patricia Hooper, who he would marry. They had two children, Lynn and David. In 1964, Fred left the Air Force and moved his family to Kansas City. He worked on vending machines until the late 1970’s when he decided to work for the US Government. He retired 30 years later from the National Weather Service. He continued to dedicate his time to improving the lives of others by serving as a Board member for Lee’s Summit CARES for 20 years and as a member of the Lee’s Summit Public Safety Board for 22 years, where he diligently supported the Police and Fire departments and which only ended with his passing. He was involved in “Shop with a Cop” and would also adopt school families to provide holiday meals and toys. He was known for his generosity and benefiting families until just prior to his passing.
Fred’s childhood love of hockey continued as he worked for several teams playing in Kansas City on the ice crew as an official and statistician. The NHL was a passion of Fred’s. He was a lifelong Detroit Red Wings fan until the Las Vegas Golden Knights joined the NHL. Fred was an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan, and he would tell stories of going to the old Municipal Stadium to witness the beginning of the Chiefs and Raiders rivalry with the players fighting and fans throwing snowballs. Fred also loved Sprint car racing and would often travel to Knoxville, Iowa to see the races.
Fred was always very outgoing. He seemed to know everyone and everyone seemed to know him. He knew no strangers. He will always be remembered for his love of country, love of family and love of community.
Fred was preceded in death by his parents, his loving wife Pat and his son David Pickard. He is survived by his daughter Lynn, her husband Mark Coke, granddaughter Anna, as well as a multitude of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends to cherish his memory.
There will be a Celebration of Life/Chiefs watch party on Monday, November 20th 6:30pm at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church Parish Hall, 4313 SW State Route 7, Blue Springs, MO 64014.
In Lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to the Saint Luke’s Mid-America Heart Institute, in memory of Fred Pickard c/o Saint Luke’s Foundation 901 E. 104th St. #1005, Kansas City MO 64131.
