FREDERICK M. KESSLER's Obituary
Frederick Melvin Kessler was a husband to Joan, a father to Fran, Andrew and Rachel, a grandfather to Don, Ben, Kyle, Kurt, Ryan, Brett Solomon and Abby, and a great-grandfather to Adeline.
Fred was born on May 15, 1932 to Abraham and Frieda Kessler in Brooklyn, NY. They lived on a cobblestone street. His sister Leona was born a few years later. An avid Boy Scout and eventual Eagle Scout, Fred enjoyed the Ten Mile River Scout Camp. After graduating from Samuel Tilden High School in 1949, Fred studied Mechanical Engineering at the City College of New York.
He met Joan Keiles in October of 1950 on a blind date – she was a senior at Walton High School in the Bronx. They met again after Joan enrolled at CCNY. Fred proposed in 1953 and they were married on May 2, 1954.
In 1955, Fred joined the Navy and was commissioned an officer in March of 1956. He was sent to a naval base in Yokosuka, Japan and Fred and Joan took off on a long adventure. Their daughter Fran was born in Japan. They returned to Brooklyn in May of 1958 and son Andrew was born.
Leaving the Navy, Fred worked as a civilian for the Navy’s David Taylor Model basin working on submarines, living in Silver Spring, Maryland. In 1961, they moved to Easton Pennsylvania when Fred took a job with Ingersoll Rand Company. Daughter Rachel was born in Easton. While there, Fred studied Electrical Engineering at Lafayette College.
Ingersoll Rand moved their Research Group to New Jersey and Joan and Fred moved to 31 Shady Lane in Bridgewater, New Jersey in 1963. They stayed there for 37 years. Fred studied at Rutgers University and received both a Masters Degree and then a PhD in 1971 in Electrical Engineering. Fred worked for Engineering Acoustics in Morristown and then for the international consulting firm, Dames and Moore in Cranford, New Jersey, making partner in 1978. In 1983, he started his own consulting firm, FMK Technology, Inc. In the 1990’s, Fred wound down the consulting business as he and Joan spent more time in Florida, moving full time in 2001.
After a trip to Israel with the entire family for the month of August 1973, Fred had a passion for Israel, visiting a dozen or more times over the years. Fred and Joan have been involved in charity work, especially raising money for the Papanicolauo Cancer Research Group. In 2005, he joined Company A and ran their website for years. Fred loved traveling with Joan, tennis, fishing, reading and doting on his grandchildren.
. Shiva will be observed at the home of Fran and Nathan Yungher, 2 Pierce Court, East Brunswick, NJ 08816, Wednesday 4:00PM to 5:00PM and 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Thursday 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM and 7:00PM to 9:00pm. Contributions in Frederick’s memory may be made to MAZON, A Jewish Response to Hunger, 10850 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90024, https://mazon.org.
Friends attending the service should go to the administration office of Beth Israel Cemetery for directions.
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