Sadly, we announce the passing of Frederick Lawrence Fifer, Jr. on November 9, 2024, at CC Young in Dallas, Texas.

Fred was born on December 9, 1937, in Ft. Worth. He grew up in Tyler, graduating from Tyler High School in 1955. He first attended Texas A&M University and then attended and graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University. He married his hometown sweetheart Sally King on August 22, 1959.

Fred was a teacher. In the 1960s, he taught science in the Tyler public schools and attended East Texas State University at night to earn a master's degree. In 1972, he moved his young family to Nashville, where he received a Doctor of Philosophy from Vanderbilt University's Peabody College. Fred returned to Texas to work on science curriculum at the State of Texas's Region 10 Education Service Center in Richardson. In 1974, Fred became a professor of science education at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he taught until retiring as professor emeritus in 2002.

While at UTD, Fred authored or co-authored more than twenty books and conducted hundreds of workshops on teaching science. He served as chairperson for the science and math education department and was a Texas Academy of Science fellow. He also received the UT System Chancellor's Award for outstanding teacher and the Skoog Cup, which the Science Teachers Association of Texas awards to honor an individual in higher education who has made career-long significant contributions to science education at local, state, and national levels. Fred's success in training great teachers was due in no small part to his curiosity, creativity, enthusiasm, and talent for explaining complicated concepts in simple, relatable ways.

Before teaching, Fred kept busy with a variety of jobs: he worked as a soda-jerk, gas station attendant, roughneck in the East Texas oil fields, hay baler, swim instructor, and preacher. He served the Methodist church as a local pastor when he and Sally first married and, after settling in Dallas, taught Sunday school for more than forty years at their church, Lake Highlands United Methodist Church.

Fred could fix anything. He was an accomplished woodworker. He invented and built puzzles for students and obtained a patent for one of his "educational devices." Fred was a drag racer in his youth and, over his life, owned more cars than we can count. His favorites included a '34 Ford 5-window coupe, '67 Pontiac GTO with a 400 and a tri-power carburetor, and even his orange VW bus with the McGovern/Shriver sticker. He loved dogs, competed in swimming trials for the 1956 Olympics, and was a prized jitterbug dancer. Fred also traveled widely, but his favorite trips were to fish, hunt, and camp with family and friends and to lead fieldtrips with colleagues and students. Always the teacher, family road trips included stops at outcroppings to search for fossils.

Fred could tell a story, and he had about eight really good ones. Our favorites involved tales of his road trip to Alaska with his friend Greg Jensen, loaning Elvis Presley fifty cents for guitar string at the Louisiana Hayride, and the day Sally's grandfather set the lake house lot on fire while Fred was shingling the roof.

Fred and Sally were married for 65 years and had three sons, Fred III, King, and Christman. In addition to Sally and their boys, Fred is survived by three wonderful daughters-in-law, Jeanie, Amy, and Sarah, and his perfect grandchildren Andrew, Will, Hix, Owen, Abby, and Kingsley. He was an enormously proud grandfather.

A Memorial Service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, November 16, 2024, at Lake Highlands United Methodist Church, 9015 Plano Road, Dallas, Texas 75238. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the church.

Although we miss Fred terribly, we are relieved that he is finally free of dementia. We thank the wonderful staff of CC Young, especially his caregivers in the memory care unit and Dr. Grady Goodwin, for their service, dedication, and kindness to Fred and all their patients.

Click this link to visit Fred's Personal Remembrance Page to share your cherished memories and upload photos of your time with him.