Frederick Phillip Ahrens, Jr. of Dallas, Texas passed away on May 29, 2019 at the age of 81. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, he is preceded in death by his parents and 3 of his 4 sisters.
From the earliest age, Fred was a man of few words. This was due in large part to growing up with his four feisty sisters, Phyllis (deceased), Arlene (deceased), Joyce (deceased) and Rosemary, all of whom he adored. Although he could rarely get a word in edgewise, he learned to carefully craft his minimal words with maximum impact. A key strength that would serve him well in the legal profession.
He graduated from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School, Xavier University (BS, Economics; MBA, Industrial Relations), and received his JD from Marquette University.
Fred married Carolyn Thomas, whom he met at Marquette University, with whom he had two children, his daughter, Tracey, an Ursuline graduate, and his son, Sean. He saw it as his fatherly duty to instill in them a lifelong love of bowling, football, being on the water, and gambling – craps and the ponies were his favorites.
Fred’s legal career spanned five decades and across multiple states. He was admitted to the Bar in Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan, California & Oklahoma, and was a proud member of the National Academy of Arbitrators. He held various legal and human relations positions with Gillette, Navistar Inc., Ford Motor Co., Lobel & Opera, Carlsmith Ball, AMF Scientific Drilling and Wylain Corporation, as well as serving as a Judge Pro-Tem in Long Beach, California. His second career was as an Arbitrator, Administrative Law Judge, Hearing Examiner, Attorney and Mediator based in Dallas.
He married the love of his life, Kay Epperson of Dallas, in 1981 in a small, family ceremony in Sunnyvale, California. Fred and Kay returned to Carmel each year to celebrate their November anniversary. Never one to be told what to do, Freddy would later purchase his own wedding ring from a pawn shop prior to their second ceremony in 1985 at St. Catherine of Siena Parish Church in Laguna Beach.
He had a special place in his heart for his three grandchildren, Griffin (21), Christopher (20) and Brandon (18), and nephew Kyle (22). It was his love for his grandson Griffin that compelled him to testify before the Texas Insurance Committee on the need for insurance coverage for children on the Autism Spectrum.
Fred is survived by his loving wife of 37 years, Kay; his daughter, Tracey and her husband, John; his son, Sean; his grandsons; his sister, Rosemary and her son, Greg and wife, Heather; his sister-in-law, Alyssa and her husband, David and their son, Kyle; and numerous nieces, nephews and other loving family and friends.
A special thank you from Fred’s wife and daughter to his brother-in-law, David Comstock, who helped care for him since his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2016. His family would also like to thank the wonderful ICU nurses – particularly Erica, Catherine and Taylor, and Chaplain Pam Trautmann, who administered Fred’s Last Rites, at Baylor Scott & White in Plano; and Diana at Faith Presbyterian Hospice for her kind care and guidance. Thank you as well to Laura Lester and her staff at Encore Memory and Day Care for their loving friendship.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in Fred’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org) or Autism Speaks (www.autismspeaks.org).