Fredrick Lewis Firth

Frederick Lewis Firth (by Dennis Richard Firth) Frederick Lewis Firth, my father, passed away early Saturday morning, January 18, 2025. He was 91. He was born on December 4, 1933, in Easton, Pennsylvania. He joined the Navy in 1952 and served his country for 30 + years retiring in 1986 as a Master Chief. For many years he served with a patrol squadron based in the Pacific and at Pensacola. While in the Navy, he became an electrician. He was also very skilled with his hands. I was always impressed by his woodworking skills. My dad was married twice. His first wife, Connie Fowler- Firth (my mother), passed away in 2005. His second wife was Terry Firth. They met in the Philippines and were married nearly forty years. She and her daughter, Maria Catalina McDaris (Lina), live in Pensacola, Florida. Lina was like a second daughter to my dad. My dad had three children. I was the first born. My sister, Toni Iris Firth, was born on January 1, 1958. She died of tuberculosis on April 30, 1959. My brother, Dean Frederick Firth was born on Nov. 14, 1961 and currently lives in Virginia. My dad has six grandchildren-Melissa Boucher, Richard Firth, Lee Firth, Dean Casper Firth, Max McDaris, and Nicole McDaris. And he has three great grandchildren who live in Texas. Even though my dad lived in Florida and I live in Texas, we managed to stay in contact, although visits only occurred once or maybe twice a year. My dad was a very outgoing person; he 'never met a stranger'. On our visits, if we went out, he never failed to find someone he knew at a restaurant or store. He was very sociable and liked parties. Me, I'm the complete opposite--- an introvert through and through. We do, however, share a strong sense of responsibility and obligation. We also shared a love of history. He was most interested in World War II, especially the Pacific theater. From my dad, I got my love of sports, in particular football and baseball. I took more to baseball when I was growing up playing in Little League for several years. My dad was my first coach. One of my fondest memories comes from those years. We were living in Hawaii, and I was about 12. I was going through a cold streak at the plate striking out quite a bit. My dad came home from deployment, and we started talking about baseball. I told him about my troubles at the plate, so he suggested we go outside, and he'd throw me some pitches. He had only thrown two or three pitches when he walked up to me and said, "You know what you're doing wrong?" I just shook my head no. He said, "You're closing your eyes when you swing. Keep your eyes on the ball-watch it until it hits the bat." That was the end of my cold streak. I was amazed at how quickly he spotted the problem. My dad eventually lost interest in baseball while I've continued to be a fan, first of the Texas Rangers and later my Fantasy Team. I've talked to him in recent years about baseball trying to rekindle his interest. I've learned more about his earlier years by doing so. He once knew the stats of all his favorite players. I knew he was a Yankees fan (unfortunately), but I learned he often went to Phillies games with his buddies while he was in the Navy and was stationed near Philadelphia. I will miss our sports conversations, especially during halftime of the Army-Navy game. We always watched it together-with him in Florida and me in Texas.

Tributes

Fredrick Lewis Firth

December 4, 1933 - January 18, 2025