Frederick "Fred" Barthel

Family and friends will be received at the funeral home on Thursday from 4:00 to 7:00 PM.

A funeral procession will form at the funeral home on Friday at 10:00 AM.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Saint Joseph Church on Friday at 11:00 AM.

Burial will follow with military honors at Hurley Cemetery.

Fred Barthel, the eldest of four children of Fritz and Anna (Nichols) Barthel, was born in June 1941 and died Sunday, August 10 at Vassar Brothers Hospital. Many of Fred's childhood memories were of simple, happy times spent with his family and extended family during seemingly endless summers and snowy winter holidays. After marrying Terry Brennan (with whom he would have celebrated their 60th anniversary next year), and welcoming their beloved daughter Sheila, he managed to provide his young family with a similar plethora of wonderful experiences throughout the years.

Fred was a person whose love of family was echoed by his love for outdoor sports, such as hunting, fishing, skiing and hiking, including a trek up the Peruvian Andes with family. He also discovered the agony and the ecstacy of golf as a teenaged caddie (along with his brothers Rick and Bob) at Twaalfskill Golf Club, where he not only learned the game but made lifelong friends as well. After playing varsity golf at KHS, he segued into varsity golf at Rider College. For many years he competed in the annual Herdegen Golf Tournament, and once proudly finished in second place, his best showing.

At Rider he was a member of the Delta Sigma Pi fraternity, participating in fundraising efforts and working on local community projects. He graduated with a BS in Accounting and enjoyed a long professional career that spanned Corporate accounting with Wilcox & Gibbs, auditing and certifiying accounts of all sizes with the Ronder accounting firm, and ultimately becoming CFO of Ferncliff Nursing Home from its opening until his retirement. Along the way he served in the US Air Force on both Active and Reserve Duty.

Early on, he introduced Sheila to golf and to skiing; one of his fondest memories occurred during a European ski trip with Sheila, where they found they needed their passports in order to ski from Austria to neighboring Switzerland. He also enjoyed partnering with lifelong friend Jim McGrath in two businesses: the Catskill Angler's Den and later Belleayre Ski Shop.

Fred spent many happy hours fishing the Esopus with his brothers, and with his longtime friends Dave Townsend and Mike Messler at Mike's salmon fishing camp; they created a lifetime of memories during their biannual treks to the Miramichi River. He and Terry also tremendously enjoyed the many relaxed weekends they spent with his cherished sister Bette and husband Tony at their cozy Adirondack lakeside camp; those times grew ever more precious to him as he grew older. Over the years "Uncle Fred" became very close with Terry's extended family, spending many fun times sharing family celebrations.

Essentially, Fred lived his life as a man in full, surrounded by those he loved and who loved him, which is the greatest legacy of all. He is survived by his wife Terry, daughter Sheila (Monica), siblings Rick and Bob (Sue), Bette (Barthel) Manley (Tony), dear cousin Karl Puttlitz (Dianne), and many nieces, nephews, and friends. Knowing him was a gift to us all. We wish you godspeed on your journey, Fred.

Expressions of sympathy in lieu of flowers maybe made in the form of contributions to Ulster County SPCA or Wounded Warriors Project.