Fred Frank Wiesner

Fred Frank Wiesner, age 91, passed away on Monday, December 10, 2012, in Austin, Texas. Fred was born in Wharton County, Texas, on December 23, 1920, to Frank and Agnes Wiesner. He is preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Sylvia Krutilek Wiesner. Fred is survived by three children: Dennis and his wife, Lynn; Wayne; and Debbie and her husband, Darrell Ramey. Fred had three grandchildren: Catherine Wiesner Manley and her husband Patrick, Stephanie Wiesner, and Mark Wiesner and his wife Brandy along with three great-granddaughters: Emily and Mary Manley and Lucy Wiesner. Fred is also survived by one sister, Mary Smaistrla. Fred was the oldest son in a family of five children and spent his early life working on the family farm. In 1942, he was drafted into the Army. Fred served as a Staff Sergeant with the 50th Medical Battalion in the European theater of operations and was part of the invading force on D-Day June, 1944. He remained in the Army until the end of World War II and received an honorable discharge in November, 1945. Upon returning home, Fred married his school sweetheart, Sylvia Krutilek, on January 22, 1946. Fred and Sylvia moved to Newgulf, Texas, where Fred worked for Texas Gulf Sulfur Company in the field department and then moved to the machine shop before finally retiring after 37 years of service. Fred was a natural mechanic and loved working on his cars but also had a part time job as a household repair man working on washers and dryers. In 1993 after Sylvia’s retirement, they moved to Wharton, Texas, until finally moving to Austin in 2010 to be near their family. Fred loved to travel and visited 45 different states and Canada. After retirement, he made several trips to Colorado and became very fond of skiing. He especially looked forward to the annual family summer trips to New Braunfels, Texas. During his retirement, Fred always had a vegetable garden in addition tending to his flowers and shrubs in his yard. But the real joy in Fred and Sylvia’s life was dancing. They belonged to several different dance clubs and seldom a week passed without going to a dance. Fred’s family and friends will be blessed with many memories of their time shared together over the years.. Friends may come for visitation Thursday evening from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Wharton Funeral Home. A Rosary will be recited at 9:30 am Friday, December 14, 2012, at Holy Family Catholic Church in Wharton and a Funeral Mass will follow at 10:00 am at the church. Burial will follow in the Evergreen Memorial park Cemetery in Wharton. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made Hospice Austin or the Alzheimer Foundation of America.