Fredrick William Springer

Fredrick William Springer

Aug. 22, 1938 – Dec. 20, 2022

Passed away on Tues., Dec. 20, 2022, in Spokane, Wash. Fred is preceded in death by his parents Beverly and Margaret Springer of Otis Orchards, Wash. Fred is survived by his wife of 57 years, Kathy, his son Brett (Cathi) of Houston, Texas, two grandsons, Austin of Spokane and Dalton of Fayetteville, Ark., his sister, Carolyn Scott (John) of Otis and several other relatives in the Spokane area.

Born on Aug. 22, 1938, in Spokane, Fred attended Otis schools playing football, baseball and basketball and participated in FFA, raising hogs, and working at the stockyards. These experiences helped form Fred's passion for Vo-Ag which later became his career. After graduating from Otis Orchards in 1956, Fred served in the Marines and played catcher for the service team while stationed in Okinawa and Hawaii. He often told the story of serving lookout during a stormy, eerie night on the South Korean Sea, stating that if he could only survive the night, he would become an Ag Teacher. He did just that and graduated in 1967 from WSU.

While in school, Fred met the love of his life, Kathryn Marie Malkuch of Glendive, MT, at the Coeur d' Alene Boat Races and the two married in 1965. Upon graduating from WSU, Fred spent his entire career as an agricultural instructor at Reardan High School, teaching for thirty-two years, leaving a lasting impact on his students and community. Many of his students' lead successful careers in ag, ag-mech or horticulture related fields with several former students becoming Ag Teachers themselves.

Until Fred's death, he raised hogs north of Reardan, sometimes even on his own property, taking great pride in the study of food formulation and breeding stock that often became show animals for students at the Spokane Junior Livestock Show. Fred was passionate about the importance of the Junior Show, serving on the board well in to his late 70's as he knew the impact it had on young people like it had on him. Fred was given special recognition in 2005 as the Honoree for the year for the fair.

Fred's influence continues in the community that he so proudly served. To honor Fred, A Celebration of Life open to the public will be held on Sat., Jul.15, 2023 in Reardan with more details to come prior to the event.

Memorial donations honoring Fred may be sent to: Reardan FFA Scholarships, C/O Anthony Wicks, Boosters, 30830 Schwarz Rd., Davenport, WA 99122 or St. Michael's Catholic Church, C/O Tom Schultz, P.O. Box 451, Reardan, WA 99029. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at http://www.strate-funeral.com for the Springer family. Strate Funeral Home, Davenport, WA is caring for the family.