Fred Oliver

Fred A. Oliver, 82, loving Dad, Pawpaw, and husband, began a new adventure on Thursday, August 10, 2023. He always said he wasn’t sure what came next, but he hoped he would join loved ones on the other side.

Fred was born on St. Patrick’s Day in 1941 to the late Louis Charles and Betty (Beuche) Oliver and lived in the Cuyahoga Falls area for most of his youth. Never enjoying school, he chose a trade and became a first-rate meat cutter, working in the meat departments of the Co-Op Grocery Store, K-Mart, Fazios, and eventually Acme, from which retired as the manager of the Manchester Rd. meat department. While at Co-Op, he met and married Sandy Koehler and they, along with their three children, Jim, Kelly, and Conni, lived in the Firestone Park area of Akron for many years before moving to Coventry in the early 90’s. He welcomed three grandchildren into his heart and truly enjoyed watching them grow. Together, he and his wife went camping with their children every summer, participated in various bowling leagues, were members of the Sons of Herman, and joined the Allenside Athletic Association. Fred loved to golf! One of his favorite memories was golfing at the Firestone Country Club. Throughout his life, Fred loved to travel and see new sights, especially if they were of historical significance. While all of these things tell you a little about Fred Oliver, they don’t really convey who he was as a person. He was kind and giving. He would help anyone who needed it. While living in the Firestone park area, he would mow the lawn of a widowed neighbor, or shovel her walk in the winter. When his children were little, he enjoyed rocking them and singing to them, or watching documentaries and nature shows together. Although he disliked being in crowds, he went to parties with Sandy because SHE loved being around lots of people, and he wanted her to be happy. As they grew older and Sandy became ill, he willingly tended to her medical and everyday needs without complaint. When she passed in 2008, he sat by her bed, holding her and telling her he loved her. Later, he would nurse his youngest daughter, then an adult, through several surgeries, caring for her without complaint, just as he had for Sandy. Although raised in a time with less acceptance toward the differences of others, he immediately supported his youngest grandchild when she told him she was transgender, excitedly purchasing his first “granddaughter” greeting card to show her he loved her for the person she was. Through his words and actions, Fred instilled in his children a strong work ethic, loyalty to family and friends, and a love of learning. Money didn’t always matter, as long as you could get by. It was important to choose to do something you LOVE, because you might be doing it for a long time, and when you accept a job, do it well, because pride in yourself and what you do matters, and pride in your fellow workers. As such, he was a staunch supporter of unions, believing the best way to make a living was to join together and demand what was right and fair.

Times weren’t always easy for Fred and his family. Lay-offs in the early years caused financial troubles and hurt his pride. He left most of the child-rearing to his wife while he worked long hours to provide for the family. His son, as a young adult, was in a serious motorcycle accident, bringing Fred to tears, fearing for his son’s life. That from a man raised to believe that real men never cried. Later, he struggled with alcohol, and finally became sober in the last two years of his life. All in all, he felt he had led a good life and had done the best he could by those he loved. At the end of his life, he just wanted to sit on his porch, watch the neighborhood and the birds, visit with those he loved, talk about the past, and have a smoke and a joke. And that’s exactly what he did, even in the last few weeks of his life.

Fred was preceded in death by his wife, Sandra L. Oliver, most of his brothers, and his sister Barbera Como, and son-in-law (and one of his best friends) Daryle Zeno. He is survived by his son, James L. Oliver; daughters, Kelly Bartilson and Conni Zeno; and grandchildren Robbie (Monica) Coon-Anda, Sean Bartilson, and Kylie Bartilson.

All are welcome to visit with Fred’s family on Friday, September 1, from noon to 1:00 PM, at the Bacher-Moore Funeral Home, 3326 Manchester Rd, Akron, Ohio 44319. A short celebration of life will immediately follow the visitation. Guests are then welcome to join the family at the interment of Fred's ashes at Mount Peace Cemetery in Akron. 

Fred didn’t care about flowers, even mowing them over when they were in his way on his lawn. So, in lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a gift donation in Fred’s memory to Equality Ohio, at https://equalityohio.org/. It would please him no end to know that his death helped fight for the rights of those like his granddaughter.