Frederic J. Infelice
March 26, 1953 - December 17, 2020
Marlboro, NY
Frederic John Infelice, of Marlboro, NY, went home to Heaven on December 17, 2020. He was 67.
Fred was born in the Bronx, NY, on March 26, 1953, to the late Angelo and Josephine Infelice. Fred met the love of his life, Roxanne Gill, on spring break in Fort Lauderdale, FL, on April 18, 1976. It was love at first sight! They were married on April 21, 1979, in Batavia, IL.
Fred leaves behind his beloved wife Roxanne, and the legacy of his family that he loved beyond words: daughter Andrea; son Joseph and his wife Chloe; son Michael; daughter Erin and her partner Darrin; grandsons Jackson and Carmine; sister Susan; mother-in-law Beverly "Tootie"; cherished family members Sal, Dawn, Jimmy, Violet, Candy, Mike, Kelley, and the Stefanelli and Kaiser families; and many nieces, nephews, in-laws, cousins, and friends. He was pre-deceased by his parents and his brother Anthony.
Fred, Freddie, Freddie I., Big Fred, The Belt, The Planet, Daddy, Poppyseed, and lately Goomba to his grandchildren... he had a myriad of nicknames, but not nearly as many as he himself assigned. You may have your given name, but you most likely also have a Fred-given name. The only things bigger than his epic mustache were his larger-than-life personality and unmatched gift for storytelling. His "inside voice" would shake the walls. His stories would have everyone in stitches, and will never be forgotten. He once arranged to have his wife pulled over for a "dirty car violation" (she's still not over it). Fred had both the heart and the scowl of a lion (X-FACE!), but if you were lucky enough to know him, you knew he was a giant teddy bear that made everyone feel like family. He was loyal, loving, and generous to a fault.
Fred was very proud of his Bronx heritage and lifelong friendships with his Burke Avenue crew. He loved to regale us with memories, like playing stickball in the streets, listening to his Yankees hero Mickey Mantle's accomplishments on the transistor radio, the "savings" he passed along working as a cashier at the grocery store, "Angle" Stadium, athletic feats in multiple sports, a less-than athletic feat that caused a steam incident during a muddy football game, the list goes on. As a former city cab driver, he could until his last day tell you how to get into Manhattan without paying a single toll. He was our GPS before GPS existed. And he never did lose that accent!
Fred was an everyman down at the Danskammer power plant. We're still not sure what he did there, but by all accounts there was a lot of laughing and lunch-hour napping in addition to heavy equipment-operating, coal shoveling, and the forming of a few more unbreakable bonds of friendship. Of course, if you asked Fred what he did for a living, the answer was the never the same. Some imaginary careers that he successfully passed off to his captivated audiences included deep-sea gold diver, dog-training for the Iditarod, an economist (ever heard of Fredonomics? We've got a boat to sell ya), an assassin, a rap composer, a fisherman, a dancer, a vocalist, a scholar, a linguist, an oceanographer, some kind of secret security-level-six FBI agent...
Fred was the most amazing husband and father to his family. He never missed a single game, meet, match, recital, competition, play, graduation, or event for any of his four children. His legendary whistle was heard and obeyed across neighborhoods. He loved doo-wop and harmony, sunrises on the beach, Christmas Surprise Finales, jigsaw puzzles (1,000 pieces only), crossword puzzles (in ink), kicking butt at Jeopardy! with his IQ of 162 (don't argue), scratch-offs and lottery wins ("winner, winner, CHICKEN *^@&%# DINNER!"); and special times spent with his beautiful wife swing dancing, taking off together to hit the open road - either on the "kiddo" motorcycle or in the RV - to surprise some friends, or just cruise along looking for hawks.
We will also fondly remember Fred as a champion complainer with a short fuse. He was whatever word is past "stubborn." It's quite possible he never actually did eat one vegetable over his lifetime. If there was a traffic jam, you'd hear about it. Even more so if the traffic was on the other side of the road, not affecting him (or you) at all. Being stuck on line behind people in Dunkin' Donuts who were unaware that such an establishment sells donuts? You were gonna hear about it for a minimum of three days. He could repair or assemble just about anything, but not without a tirade of cursing. He would help his friends with any and all house repairs - fences, steps, sheetrock, you name it. He would give up the shirt off his back even if it was the last thing he owned, and would never expect a single thing in return (but would never say no to a batch of chocolate cupcakes!).
The memories are rolling in from so many, and we could go on and on for several lifetimes. We will continue to laugh and cry and reminisce over each and every one, as they are all so very special to us.
Fred, we're so grateful for everything you have given us. Your memory and legacy will live on through us, and we promise to do our best to make you proud. We would push all our furniture out the window for all the money in the world, to pay for just one more moment with you. We will miss you so very much, until the day we meet again.
Services are being managed by the wonderful staff of Brooks Funeral Home, and will be held privately due to current COVID restrictions. We hope to hold the huge celebration-of-life party that Fred rightfully deserves as soon as we are able.
Our family wishes to thank the staff of Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, NY, for everything they did for us and our Fred. We continue to pray for them and all medical personnel as they battle through this overwhelming pandemic. We most especially wish to thank NP Lisa, Janna, Diana, Fernando, Margaret, Jasmine, Jennifer, Melissa, Josh, Emma, Kaitlin, Patrick, Dr. Collins, and Dr. Kahn of the Vassar COVID ICU unit. God Bless You for all you do and please stay safe.