Funeral services for Wayne Fritz, 86 of Fort Dodge, formerly of Paton, were held Nov. 20 at the Salem United Methodist Church in Paton.
The Rev. David Arulnathan, pastor of the church, officiated. Casket bearers were Dave Cunningham, Pat Cunningham, Mark Rittgers, Rick Rittgers, Doug Tourte, and Bob Peacock.
Interment was at the Paton Township Cemetery in Paton.
Wayne Eugene Fritz, son of Fredrick and Rena (Collins) Fritz, was born May 20, 1935, on the family farm near Menlo. He died at Friendship Haven Simpson Health Center in Fort Dodge on Nov. 15, 2021, at the age of 86.
The family moved from Menlo to the farm near Paton in 1941. Wayne graduated from Paton High School in 1953. He served in the U.S. Army as a radio operator from 1954-56 and was stationed in Germany for most of his service.
Wayne was united in marriage to Blanche LaRue Lightfoot, daughter of Harry and Katherine (Enders) Lightfoot, on Nov. 24, 1956, at the Methodist Church in Paton. They are the parents of two children, Anne LaRue and Carl Eugene Fritz. They lived and farmed in the Paton/Gowrie area for 45 years. Wayne served on the Rural Electric Cooperative board of directors for many years.
He was an accomplished trumpet player, a member of the Gowrie Gauchos drum and bugle corps, and occasionally played “Taps” during Memorial Day services at the Paton Township Cemetery. He enjoyed traveling, camping, skiing, genealogy research and spending winters in Mesa, AZ. He especially loved spending time with his grandchildren, both on the farm and in New Jersey.
After retiring from farming, Wayne and Blanche moved to Flagstaff, AZ, in 2002 and in 2010 moved to Mesa, AZ. In 2015 they moved to Hillsborough, NJ, to be close to family. After Blanche’s passing, Wayne moved back to Iowa to Friendship Haven in Fort Dodge to be near home and friends.
Wayne is survived by his son Carl (and special friend Rebecca Wachowiak) of Eagle Grove; and grandchildren Kevin Fritz of St. Louis Park, MN, and Kathleen Fritz of Princeton, NJ. He was preceded in death by his wife Blanche; daughter Anne; parents Fred and Rena Fritz; stepmother Ida (Miller) Fritz; and sisters Clara Tripp of Fort Morgan, CO, and Mary Steiger of Portland, OR.
Funeral services were arranged by Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home in Jefferson.
