Born just inside the border of West Germany in 1947 following his mother’s release by the Soviet Union, Fred immigrated to Canada in 1950 with his parents, John and Kathy Schubel.
Fred grew up in Scarborough, Ontario with his younger brother, Wally. Fred and Wally spent their formative teenage years reluctantly helping their parents tend to the garden, playing tennis (Fred never let Wally win), and watching the eminent television programs of the time: Star Trek, NFL football and early-era Sesame Street.
Music was central to Fred’s entire life. His love of music took him to the University of Toronto where he studied in the Faculty of Music and later became a high school band teacher. Quickly realizing teaching was not his passion, Fred turned his sights to musical instrument repair and he trained in Elkhart, Wisconsin. Looking to establish his new career as a musical instrument repair technician, Fred found a job opportunity in the Okanagan. Having never been to the west, Fred moved to Kelowna in 1977 sight-unseen, trusting Wally’s advice that it was the best place ever. And he was right.
Fred soon became business partners with Terry O’Malley and together they established OMUS Band Instrument Repair Service as the leading provider in the BC Interior of this decidedly niche service. Fred and OMUS were synonymous until his retirement in 2007, with the business ultimately employing the whole family in the summers (some enthusiastically, others reluctantly.)
Fred met the love of his life, Krystyna Łukaszewicz, at the bar at the Capri Hotel on a Friday night. Fred and Terry, both former teachers themselves, had gone to the place where teachers gathered after school on pay-day. It paid off. After catching each other’s eyes, it wasn’t long before Fred was invited to Krys’ for a party, an occasion always remembered for the chili that was too hot (Fred fixed it). Soon after he invited her to his place for Paprika Chicken, a killer dish, and she knew she’d found her man.
Fred and Krys married in Vancouver on June 30, 1979 on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Symbolic of their loving but pragmatic union, by Monday morning, they were both back at OMUS, cleaning and fixing horns from all over the province that had to be ready before September.
Alex was born in early 1981 and Fred and Krys brought him home to the house on Rio Drive that Krys had bought from Nancy Greene’s brother some years prior. Adam was born soon after and Fred and Krys started building their dream home near the end of Clifton Road. They moved in in September 1984 before it was finished, toddler/infant sons and dog in tow. Fred would live there for the rest of his life, hosting innumerable school staff parties, band teacher fêtes, family Christmases and other occasions where he would wow his guests with his cooking prowess.
Over the years, Fred, Krys, Alex and Adam made countless memories as a family, doing fancy things like travelling to Puerto Vallarta and regular things like eating dinner at the Costco food court on a Friday evening. Fred was a constant and measured center of the family.
Fred was a great son, brother, husband, father, uncle, father-in-law and friend, defined by his gentle humility, clear thinking and mastery of trivial knowledge in all subjects. He was the bedrock for everyone in the immediate and extended family; he was the reliable, steadfast and dedicated guy that could absolutely be counted on to always do what was needed, without hesitation or complaint.
When his grandkids, Fraser and Hudson, were born, Fred outshone all his previous performances, constantly demonstrating himself as a loving and devoted grandfather.
When Adam and his partner Meghan were working, Fred spent most of his time taking care of his grandkids (and his grand-dog) with Krys, picking them up from daycare, minding them during the pandemic, and waiting patiently for them by the fence every day after school. The caption from a piece of Hudson’s grade one artwork sums up this part of Fred’s life best: “I love my grandpa. He likes to chop wud, and I was incherestd. He makes me feel speshl. and I love him.”
While Fred’s life ended too soon, he lived well through his 77 years. In the end, he was surrounded by his loving family, a testament to his life’s work as a true family man.
In accordance with Fred’s wishes, an informal celebration of life will be held at a later date. The family is grateful for the care provided by doctors and staff at BC Cancer and Kelowna General Hospital. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to BC Cancer – Kelowna (Sindi Ahluwalia Hawkins Centre) https://bccancerfoundation.com/donations/bc-cancer-kelowna/
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