My Pop was born on September 2nd, 1924 in Egypt, Pennsylvania. (Yes there is an Egypt in PA!) He was one of eight children born to Gertrude and Paul Mayer. He was a good student in school and loved his Mom & Pop and brothers and sisters dearly. 

While he had high school education he was an exceptionally smart and wise man. He liked to have his fun in high school and little did he know where he was going to end up doing for a living when he went to the golf course with his friends to do a couple loops during the summers.

His Pop would always let him borrow the car to go out with his friends (usually to the bars) and his Mom would always give him a few bucks if she could spare it. Once my Pop, when coming home from a night out was cutting the corners on the back roads (cutting throught the corn fields) and he actually hit a cow with the car!

One day in 1950, while at a bar with his friends he ran into Herman Lindenmuth. He knew about Herman but he didn't really know him. While talking Herman, who was originally from PA but who had gone to NY to live and work, offered My Pop a job on the golf course back in NY. My Pop took him up on the offer and went back to NY to work on the golf course. When he left it was a very sad day for My Pop's father, mother, brothers and sisters. One day Herman set up My Pop on blind date with the sister (Dolores) of the woman he was dating. (Angelina Totino) Well that was it, Fred & Dolores were married on November 25th 1951.

My Pop and my Mom had three children, Fred Jr, Myself (Mark) and his little girl Karen. He loved them dearly. His children were the light of his life. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for them and anything he wouldn't sacrifice for them. While we were growing up my Pop and my Mom made sure we had religion in our lives. We were all sent to Catholic grade school and as children growing up we went to Church as a family every Sunday morning.  Eventually as we grew into adults and we naturally went our own ways. My Pop was always proud of his kids and the men and woman that they grew up to be.

We children and my Mom were extremely devoted and spent every moment of my Pop's illness, by his side taking care of him. My Pop was a remarkable man, a strong man with a big heart. He fought to the end with strength, courage and dignity.

Some of the things I'll always remember about my Pop was taking him to church every Sunday morning and then coming home and making him breakfast (ham or bacon and eggs, with a Dunkin coffee) and hanging out reading the newspapers. Our many trips to Pennsylvania to see my Aunt and his sister Gertrude and my Uncle John (while he was alive). Working every weekend out in the yard cutting the grass, planting flowers in the spring and tomatoes in the summer. Going to the driving range to hit a bucket of balls and then stopping at my sister Karen and brother-in-law Joey's. Going to Karen & Joey's on weekends for pancake breakfasts. Going to Karen & Joey's for holidays and summer barbeques.

One of the greatest gifts that My Pop gave to us was deep seated set of values: Honesty, Kindness, Charity, Integrity, Faith and Love.

My Pop was and will always be an inspiration to me until the day I die.

I Miss You Pop and I Love You Pop More Then You'll Ever Know, Always and Forever. I know you'll be waiting for me Pop and that I'll see you again and be with you again for all eternity. Until then Pop I'll always be thinking of you, remembering all the fun we had together and you'll live on in my heart until the day I die.