Fred was born in 1943 in Barstow, California to the late Dolores and Marshall Ybarra. He and his two sisters, Patricia and Dorcas, and two brothers, Thomas and Steven, grew up together in their family’s home in Riverside, California. Fred was the first person in his family to graduate from college, and it was while he was at the University of California at Berkeley that he met his wife, Carolyn.
Fred served in the army from 1967 to 1969, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. Upon returning from his service, Fred earned a Master of Business Administration from U.C. Berkeley.
Fred had a long career with Weyerhaeuser Lumber Company, which took him and his family throughout the country. Over the years, the family lived in Omaha, Nebraska; Burnsville, Minnesota; and Wichita, Kansas. In 1990, Fred and Carolyn moved back to California, settling their family in Irvine, and it was there that they stayed. In 1995, Fred struck out on his own and opened Fred’s Lumber Service. Over the two decades he was in business, he built a thriving customer base that he continued to serve until just months before he passed.
Fred was an avid reader, poring over at least two papers every morning, in addition to countless periodicals and books on history and business. He also enjoyed ushering at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, sailing, traveling, lingering at long dinners over wine with his daughters and sons-in-law, and flying kites with his children and grandchildren. But Fred’s true passion was his wife, Carolyn. He adored her more than anything in the world, and counted his marriage to her of 51 years as one of the greatest blessings and accomplishments of his life.
Fred is survived by Carolyn; his daughters, Elizabeth Ybarra Crean, Michele Ybarra-Percival, and Megan Ybarra; his sons-in-law, Gerald Crean, Daniel Percival, and Russell Voth; his grandson, Shay Crean, his two granddaughters, Nina and Callie Crean; his brother, Steven Ybarra, and his sisters, Dorcas Gerace and Pat Semrau. He was pre-deceased by his brother, Thomas Ybarra.
The memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on October 20, 2018 at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 4400 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, California.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Fred's honor to UC Berkeley's Undergraduate Scholarship Fund.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18