Birth date: Jun 2, 1931 Death date: Sep 28, 2013
Frederick Alexander, age 82 of Lantana, passed away on September 28, 2013. He is survived by his wife Anita, children Larry (Kim) Alexander, Karen Solomon, Elizabeth Menduke and Cindy Solomon. He is also survived by his grandchild Read Obituary
Liz inherited Fred's sense of humor. Wonderful laugh, full of life! When we would hang out weekends and Liz could not be found she was on the phone with her Dad, every Saturday morning. I don't think she ever missed a call to him, no matter where we were on a Saturday. I met Fred one time and found him to be charming, funny and he loved his family passionately ! He will be missed greatly by Family and friends. Go in Peace Fred. Debra Mauser Torrance, CA
My memories of Uncle Freddie include how he used to make us giggle by singing silly songs like " I love my shirt/I love my umbrella" To this day, I credit him with the funniest response EVER uttered which was prompted by my Aunt stating she was either bored or couldn't decide what she should do. Uncle Freddie came back with: " why don't you ride around the block on a bicycle and yell Carnival!" I am actually laughing now as I write that. He had a distinctive laugh that sounded like a whispered HEE HEE HEE as his shoulders rose to his ears. I cant see an old-fashioned seltzer bottle and not recall him sitting at the kitchen table on Haring street. His quick wit and intellect lives on in my cousins Larry and Liz and their children. May his soul rest in eternal peace and may his wit and intellect that is being carried on and remembered, never cease. -Sharon Herz-Freilich
Almost every memory I have of Papa Fred is of him laughing. He was always making a joke and had no shame in telling the same one over and over again... and it was always funny. I loved visiting him, going out to eat or to shop, and knowing that every time we parked the car at home he would say, "Home again, home again, jiggity-jog!" Growing up, I remember always being excited to see him because he would play along with Steven and me and all of our crazy games that we'd create. He was always making up things that would make us laugh and never made us feel like we were just kids, because he was just a bigger kid.
I'm grateful for how much emphasis he put on working hard, and being "strong like bull", because those things have shaped me and stayed with me. I know he cared a lot about me and my future. He's one of strongest, smartest people I've ever known and I was always happy to feel like I was making him proud.
I will always wish that we could have spent more time together, and even though I can't write this without tears, I am glad to know that he is no longer suffering and was surrounded by people he loved at the end. I'm grateful beyond words for all that he's helped me with and that I had such a great human being as a grandfather. Even though I talked to him just a week before he passed, neither one of us made it a "goodbye" and talked like it was just another day, and I think we both appreciated that. He may not physically be with us anymore, but he was too strong of a person to ever disappear and for his presence not to be felt with all of us who loved him. I hope that I can continue to make him proud, and that he knew I loved him very, very much and will continue to love him and think about him always.
I love you, Papa (and I hope that heaven has a good audience, because I'm sure you're still not out of jokes).
Love, Andrea
My Papa Fred was a great man. I remember visiting him in New Jersey with my family when I was young and just looking forward to talking with him and asking him questions about life. We would play cards and watch sports and always go out to eat really great (really huge) dinners :) when I was young and in school here in California, I would always be so excited to have Papa Fred visit because he would pick me up from school. I would sit in class, barely able to contain myself, and sprint off campus as soon as the last bell rang to find him. I will always remember swimming in the pool with him in Florida, talking on the phone with him on the weekends, and just being around him. He was a great, great man, and he set a great example for myself and I think for my mom as well as to what living a full life really means. I will always miss him, but I am happy that I was able to have him in my life for these first 24 years. I will think about my Papa Fred everyday, and I will smile because I'm sure he will be smiling too.
From Steven Menduke
Fred was super. Warm, open, affable, and that was just for starters. A great guy who had many exceptional personal and business talents, he often cared more about others than himself. You just felt that in his presence. His love of family was one of his greatest pleasures.
I smile every time I remember growing up with him. As a younger brother by several years, at a very young age, I was always fascinated by what he was doing and where he was going. Fred's favorite answer was HE WAS GOING TO SEE A DOG ABOUT A MAN. For several years I accepted that answer. Perhaps I was too trusting but one has to mention his ability to talk anybody out of anything. He had many sayings: IF YOU DON’T KNOW, I DO or in a slight variation, IF I DON’T TELL YOU WHAT TO DO, WHO WILL. But all these were said in good humor, the exact opposite of ever telling you what to do. Jeff, didn't you lose those ping pong games all those years because he talked you out of winning!!! That was your excuse, wasn’t it?
I could fill pages, a whole book, with all the wonderful memories. I was always so proud that he was my brother (I felt the same way about both my brothers) but what is important to say is that he was a GREAT person and a GREAT brother whom I loved so much and will miss so so much.
I know where you are going there will be handball courts and you will be a handball champ again. Just remember to mix the hooks on the serve, return it up the middle when they are to the outside and hold that sweet spot, center court up front. Oh, and say hello to Mom, Dad and Danny for me. The turkey drum is mine at dinner.
Love, Andy
My Dad was always someone who I admired and looked up to. He taught me so much. When I was a child I would wait for him to get home from work and if he got home late and we had already eaten dinner, I would sit at the table while he ate dinner. He would talk about insurance and other things that were over my head at the time but I remember just being in awe of how much he knew and how smart he was. He instilled much of his knowledge about business in me and I owe any business success I have had to the strong foundation that he built.
I remember so many happy things from my childhood memories and the times that were very dear to me we're when we got to spend one on one time together. Those times were very precious and special to me and I still remember them today. Going to a petting zoo with him, playing cards in the front of our apartment in Brooklyn, watching baseball with him, even when I didn't understand baseball at all. I just enjoyed spending time with him
Dad could always make people laugh and was quick to laugh at others humor as well. I remember him singing funny songs in the car when we would go on family trips. I loved that. He wasn't afraid to be silly and he kept his sense of humor until his last days of life. I will always treasure those last days when he was in hospice and we got to sit and talk and laugh and tell stories. We sat with him for hours each day at the end and we all knew that we were saying goodbye. This was a very precious gift for him and as well as us, who all loved him so very much. Even in the end, his sense of humor was there. He could barely speak and when the nurse asked if he was comfortable he said "I make a living" and we all laughed. That was one of his lines and he had many that we all grew to know and love because it was one of the traits that made him the person who we all loved.
Dad never complained. In fact it was hard to get him to tell us if there was something wrong. He was more concerned about not worrying anyone. He loved his family genuinely and with all his heart. I know that he prayed for all of us everyday. He told me that several times. He taught me about faith and what unconditional love looks like. He didn't always agree with my decisions but he was always a soft place for me to fall, no matter what. I learned how to be better parent by the example that he set.
I am glad that he is at peace and no longer suffering. That is all I prayed for in the end. We gave him permission to go and he said that he wasn't scared. That is a blessing in itself. I will miss our talks every Saturday on the phone but will continue to talk to him anyway in heaven. I have the gift of having him as my Dad and I have a lifetime of fond memories to help me get by. Dad would not want us to be sad, I know that for sure. He loved laughter and he loved us and I think we should celebrate his life much more than we should mourn his death.
I love you Dad and I always will.
