Frederick Wilson

Born on September 10, 1938, in Billings, MT, Frederick Anthony Wilson was the second of four children (Bob, Fred, Maxine & Ralph) brought into this world by Albert and Clara (Vavrovsky) Wilson. Being a child of the depression and WW2 years, his family made sure Fred knew how to hunt, fish, garden and save everything. He loved his mom's Bohemian poppy seed kolaches, houska bread and pies. He learned to be a good mechanic, a crafter/artist and a hard worker from his mom and dad. He was a proud member of the NRA since he was a very young boy when his dad signed he and his siblings up and taught them how to safely shoot a gun. Just like his older brother Bob, he joined the Navy at age 17 and served his country for 4 years. He returned home to Billings where met Patricia Lind whom he married and had three daughters with (Shelly, Barb & Melanie). He worked for MDU as a serviceman for 38 years. Although he always wanted a boy, he loved his three girls dearly (Shelly Wilson, Barb Kent and Melanie Glasscock) and taught them how to ride a bike, catch a fish and clean it, hunting for night crawlers by flashlight, shoot a deer and gut it, put up fencing, raise chickens, geese, turkeys, cows and sheep, work hard at garden and lawn work, shingle a roof, tell funny stories, camp out under the stars, swim/float the irrigation ditch and MT lakes, and play a mean game of cribbage. He loved his little 10 acre Billings “farm” where he had a tractor, a mower, some irrigation pipe and a pump in the ditch to water his yard, garden and apple trees. An artist by hobby, he created many cool things over the years, from metal sculptures of cowboys with branding irons to wooden birdhouses, chain saw carved bears, polymer clay caricatures, and diamond willow canes. He loved to collect antiques, model cars and trucks and he loved old cars and knew them well. Early on he restored a 1928 Model A Ford and took his family out for rides to get ice cream in the summer where he'd blow the wolf whistle and ooga horn at folks to make them smile. He never knew a stranger and always had a funny story or joke to tell if you had the time to listen. He loved to hunt and fish and had many trophies to show for his efforts. He also enjoyed going to car shows to show off his 53 Chevy Club Coupe for which he won many awards. He truly relished his car show friends, loved having coffee with retired MDU buddies and golfing pals and many relatives with whom he kept in touch for many years. Fred passed away from Covid related complications. He is survived by his three daughters who loved him dearly, Shelly Wilson(Darin Borozuk), Barb (Marty) Kent, and Melanie (Mike) Glasscock, granddaughters Taylor (Aaron) Kent/Fanuzzi, Madison Kent, grandsons Mitch and Micah Glasscock and great grandchildren Arrow and Sage Fanuzzi. Fred is also survived by wife Ann (Heberlein) Wilson, her children, Jim (Nicole) Heberlein & son Jesse, Lisa Heberlein & daughter Jennifer and her kids, Kiarra, & Dominick. We miss you Dad, but you will always be in our hearts, in our “Fred-isms” and especially in our cribbage games. Play a little O' Susannah on your harmonica for those angels, I think they'll like it. A family gathering will take place summer of 2021 to honor Fred's memory. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made in Fred's name to Billings or Roundup Food Bank, St. Jude Children's Hospital or sign up a family member to the NRA!