Robert O. Frederick

Robert was born January 6, 1914 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the son of Joseph and Lillian (Vanous) Frederick. His marriage to Phoebe Jane Nemecek took place on May 30, 1941 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 1:00 p.m., Monday, October 27, 2003 at First United Methodist Church, Winterset, Iowa He is survived by his wife, Phoebe of Winterset; two sons, Ronald A. Frederick and wife, Marie of Temecula, California and Steven R. Frederick and wife, Cheryl of Saugerties, New York; two granddaughters, Nancy E. Frederick of Raleigh, North Carolina and Sara J. Fisher and husband Shane of Marietta, California; one great grandson, Nolan Fisher; and a sister Catherine Manville of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Joseph. Robert graduated from Coe College cum laude in 1936 and received his J.D. degree from the University of Iowa Law College in 1940. He came to Winterset in June of 1940 to begin his law practice. In January of 1942 he was appointed as and FBI agent, serving four years. After returning to Winterset, he resumed his legal career. He was a member of the Madison County Bar Association, the Fifth Judicial District Bar Association, and the Tax Committee of the Iowa State Bar Association, serving as chairman of that committee. Robert also served two terms as county attorney of Madison County, Iowa. In 1967 he was appointed as a District Court Judge of the Fifth Judicial District of Iowa serving 16 counties. During this period, he served as a member of a joint legislature committee of the Iowa State Legislature, completing a revision of the Divorce Law of Iowa. After 15 years on the bench, he retired as a District Court Judge and elected to serve an additional ten years as a senior judge until he reached the mandatory age of retirement for senior judges. In addition to his legal career, Robert served as a member of the Winterset School Board for 8 years and was very much involved in the reorganization of the Winterset School District from 21 independent school districts in Madison County to the Winterset Community School District. A member of the Winterset Rotary for over 45 years, he helped sponsor a Chapter of the American Field Service in Winterset, hosting Winterset’s first foreign student. He was a Past Patron of Eastern Star and a Past Master of the Masonic Lodge of which he was a member for more than 50 years. Robert was very active in the Republican Party and had served as county chairman. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church where he had served as chairman of the Finance and Stewardship Committee. In 1996, Robert was awarded the Coe College Alumni Award of Merit for his distinction in his profession and giving back to the community and Coe College. Visitation: Winterset Cemetery, Winterset, Iowa Service: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the First United Methodist Church of Winterset, Middle River Hospice or the American Diabetes Association. Memorial: Immediately following memorial services October 27, 2003 at First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall