Born Frederick Charles Zimmerman on July 31st, 1921 in Monmouth, NJ.  His parents were Hermann and Freda Zimmerman.  His father died in 1925 in Monmouth County, New Jersey.  Shortly after his father’s passing the Zimmerman’s, Freda (his mother), Elfreda (his sister) and Fred, moved to the Catskills.  From the letters I found from Fred to his mother during WWII they had a house in Purling, NY.  Fred attended Cairo school and was in the class of 1938 (I gathered this from a photo of the class of ‘38 going to Washington DC that I found).  After graduating high school, Fred moved to Catskill, NY and joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  After CCC camp he did tours with the Navy and National Guard.  He transferred to the Army Air Corp at the beginning of WWII and became a B-17 Bomber Tail gunner, he was assigned to the 840th Bomb Squad.  He flew over 50 missions and was awarded the following: Air Medal GO3149 HQ 15th AF 6 Sept 44 with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Service Medal, European-African Middle Eastern Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal while serving with 398th Bomb Group 15 Nov 43.  Fred was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant on 30 June 45 from the 1010th Army Air Forces Base Unit AAFRS #1.

After returning home Fred enrolled at the Academy of Aeronautics in LaGuardia Field, NY.  On 1 August 47 he graduated with a degree in Aircraft Mechanics and Maintenance. He was immediately hired by Chance Vought where he worked as a service technician on aircraft.  During his tenure he flew all over the world working on aircraft.  When not overseas he was living in Virginia.  During the Korean War he flew in numerous combat missions as a civilian.  Fred will always be remembered by the Marines in Combat for being able to traverse the rice paddies while carrying 2 cases of beer, one on each shoulder.  He did many cruises on aircraft carriers while working for Vought, and had many dinners with the Captains in their quarters where they would exchange stories.  In 1969 his sister Elfreda passed away and was buried in the Round Top Cemetery.  In 1972, after 25yrs of service to Vought  which became LTV, Fred retired and moved back to Round Top where Mary Lou, his mother and his dog Chessie were waiting for him.   Also in 1972 Fred started working at the Cairo School district.  In 1975 his mother Freda passed away and was buried next to her daughter Elfreda in the Round Top Cemetery.  In 1988 Fred retired from the Cairo Durham School district and sat on the board for several years.

In the mid 90s Fred and Mary Lou moved to Acra.  Fred and Mary Lou loved riding around in their trucks with Molly, their dog, in between them.  Fred always had a cap on his truck, from his Yellow and White Chevy to his Light Blue Ford to his Black Dodge Ram.  They enjoyed walking up and down Joseph Chadderdon Rd with their dog Molly.  Fred enjoyed riding his motorcycles.  He also would spend countless hours at the Round Top Firehouse cleaning the vehicles.  Fred was also a Round Top Volunteer Fire Policeman.  In 2009 Mary Lou passed away and was buried in Saratoga National Cemetery.  In 2014 Fred went into Home Sweet Home after being hit by a car in the Bank of Greene County parking lot. On December 12th 2023 Fred passed away.  On December 19th Fred was buried in Saratoga National Cemetery with Mary Lou.