Fred L. Dunn

Frederick L. “Fred” Dunn, age 79, of Colley, PA, passed away suddenly but peacefully on Friday morning, December 8, 2023, at his home with Sandy Rigby, his companion by his side, in his house in Colley, the same house in which he was raised.

Fred was born on June 15, 1944, in Wilkes-Barre, PA, the son of Walter “Farm” Dunn and Mary Dieffenbach Dunn. He graduated from St. Basil’s High School a member of the class of 1962. While at St. Basil’s he played basketball. He continued his education and received his Bachelor of Science from the University of St. Thomas, in St. Paul, MN in 1966. 

He married the former Mary Jo Fries, the daughter of the late Donald and Margret Fries of Dushore, PA, and the mother of his three children. In 1966, they moved to Seattle to start his career at Boeing Aircraft. They started a family in Seattle in 1967 and Fred is survived by his sons, Philip Dunn, Greg Dunn, and daughter, Jennifer Cureton. In 1969 he moved to Miami to join Eastern Airlines as Director of Purchasing. In 1973, he decided to try the aircraft parts business and went to Air Carrier Supply Co. in Miami and served as Vice President of Sales. In 1977, he went to Aero Systems, also in Miami, and served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing until 1985. In 1985, he founded his own company “Avtrade” along with his business partner, Graeme Brooks. They became a Global Company with offices in Miami, London, and Hong Kong.  His sons, Phil and Greg Dunn followed in their father’s footsteps in the aviation world and worked with Fred in south Florida before he retired and began spending summers in Colley with long time partner and companion Sandy Rigby.

Fred loved the ocean and the Florida Keys. He maintained a weekend home in the Florida Keys for 26 years where he hosted several friends and his Aviation colleagues. He was a certified deep-water diver and an offshore fisherman. Fred’s real passion was baseball. He learned the game at an early age when his father, Walter “Farm” Dunn, took him and his brother Jim, as well as several local kids to see MLB games in the New York area as kids. Throughout his aviation career, Fred traveled the world to far distant places covering every continent and enjoyed extensive travel in the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia.  Fred made many friends around the world and will always be remembered for his constant teaching and willingness to always help and go above and beyond for people.

He was a lifelong member of St. Basil’s Catholic Church, and faithfully always attended a morning Mass in whatever city he was in on Sundays. Most recently at St. Francis of Assisi in Mildred. He was also a member of the Eagles Mere Country Club. Fred was also a recipient of a liver transplant on Christmas day in 2007. Thanks to the University of Miami Transplant Team and Broward Health, Fred was with us an additional 16 years.

Fred is survived by Sandy Rigby in Colley, his children Philip Dunn, Greg and Aimee Dunn of Fort Lauderdale, FL, Jen & Bryan Cureton of Tallahassee, FL, his 6 six grandchildren, Anna Cureton, Tyler Cureton, Macy Cureton, Bradley Dunn, Kyla Dunn, and Kelsey Dunn.  His brother James Dunn in Baltimore, MD, and sisters Lucille and Pete Kratcoski of Talmage, OH, and Marianne and Bob Sharpe of Oakton, VA. 

He is also survived by several nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends throughout Sullivan County, Florida, and the world. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, January 6th, 2024, at 11:00 AM in St. Basil’s Catholic Church in Dushore, PA, with Rev. Thomas J. Major, presiding. Interment will follow in the Colley Cemetery. Following the burial there will be a reception in St. Basil’s Hall, Dushore, PA.

Family and friends may call on Saturday morning, January 6, 2024, from 10:30 AM until the start of Mass at 11:00 AM in St. Basil’s Church, Dushore, PA. 

Memorial contributions may be sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or to the Friends of the Sullivan County Library, PO Box 485, Dushore, PA 18614. 

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Homer Funeral Home, 206 Water St., Dushore, PA 18614  
       
To send condolences or sign the e-guestbook, please go to www.homerfuneralhome.com.