Mueller, Frederick L. “Fred” was born on April 5, 1944, to Fredrick G. and Gertrude M. (nee Werner) Mueller in St. Louis, MO and entered into rest on his birthday, April 5, 2024, at the age of 80.
Loving husband of 58 years to Roberta “Bobbi” (nee Larsen) Mueller. Dear dad to Jennifer Hendricks and Robin (Barclay) Beekman. Loving Papa of Larsen Beekman, Bryleigh Beekman, and Lily Hendricks. Dear brother-in-law, uncle, cousin, and friend of many.
Fred grew up with a passion for go-karts, cars, and racing. He served in the U.S. Army stationed in Okinawa. He graduated from Washington University and worked as a mechanical engineer for Monsanto Enviro-Chem (MECS). Fred was dedicated to his family and his church, St. Johns Evangelical United Church of Christ in Mehlville. He never met a stranger and enjoyed building relationships through genuine care, sincere interest and laughter. Fred loved to learn something new every day and used that knowledge to help his family, friends, and others. When he wasn’t helping his family or others, you could often find him pursuing his passions of watching racing or flying kites on the beach.
SERVICES: An OPEN HOUSE, in celebration of Fred, will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17th in the dining hall at St. Johns Evangelical United Church of Christ – Mehlville.
A VISITATION will be held from 9 a.m. until time of service at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 18th at the St. Johns Evangelical United Church of Christ in Mehlville. Interment will follow at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. A service of Kutis Funeral Home 5255 Lemay Ferry Rd.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. John Evangelical United Church of Christ – Mehlville, The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, or a Veterans Charity of your choice.
Thinking of Fred leaves nothing but a smile on my face. He was such a great leader and friend to all of us in the Brink group at MECS. He patiently taught many generations of new engineers everything he knew about the product, and more importantly, people. I’m not aware of a single mechanical, or people, problem that Fred couldn’t fix. Poor Fred could never get his own work done as we would be lined up outside of his office waiting to ask him questions. On occasion we would go for an afternoon walk, during which Fred insisted on taking the “street side” of the road as it was his place to be there to protect us girls – that was the just the type of man he was – a gentlemen through and through. The world is truly a better place thanks to him. Thank you Fred for your mentorship and friendship. You will be dearly missed.
I worked with Fred at MECS. He taught me a lot about Brink inventory. I was fortunate to be invited along to help with Habitat for Humanity one time. I was definitely out of my comfort zone, but enjoyed the experience. Fred will be missed. Prayers for comfort to his family.
It’s biblical to say… “Love your neighbor” .… But in mine and Jamie’s case we really did. Fred was joy in a person’s day. Fred was always smiling. I have a couple pictures of him He allowed me to take with my favorite shirt of his that he used to wear (5 out of 4 people struggle with math.)
We enjoyed our talks when he was out in the backyard or walking little pupcake.
He was part of a generation that no longer exists. He was smart, he was kind, he was loyal, he was a. FAMILY man, and to us he was a wonderful neighbor.
I guess now we will have to rely on the news to tell us when the space shuttle is going to be flying overhead or when we were going to be having a meteor shower.
Not everyone is such a good person that they could say that even the neighbors cried on the day that he died but that we certainly did. Fred will be forever missed but most definitely never forgotten.
Truly a friend for a lifetime whose memory lives on through all who knew, loved and respected him. Until we meet again!
Fred was a great guy. I always looked forward to Tuesday nights and spending time with Fred during dartball matches. We have missed him these last few years and I will miss him going forward.
So sorry for your loss, Fred was a great man, co-worker, and a friend to anyone he met.
I worked with Fred at MECS where he was a mentor to a lot of the engineers that worked with him. I am praying for his family during this hard time.
My condolences to the family. Prayers and thoughts to everyone.
I worked with Fred at MECS some time ago. He was such a great, kind, and generous person. He never missed an opportunity to help teach and I learned so much from Fred; not just about the work stuff, but about how to engage with people, partner, and really about what a good human is supposed to behave like. We had wonderful conversations about work stuff and life. He had such great integrity and was so devoted to us at work and his family. I admired that with so much respect.
Something funny that stuck with me all of these years was about his sleep habits, or lack of sleep… I always asked him, how in the world do you have so much energy and drive all the time, and never sleep!? He would comment every time, “I’ll sleep when I’m gone.” I’ve carried that with me and continue to learn and try a little harder even when I’m a little tired.
Rest easy, Fred. You were a wonderful contribution on my life, and I am very grateful!