Frederick Hugh Renigar
March 2, 1938 - February 24, 2019

Relatives and Friends are invited to greet the family at the Urban Funeral Home in Ambler, PA on Friday March 22 at 5-7PM and attend Fred's Memorial Service at the Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler, PA on Saturday March 23 at 10:30 AM.

February 24, 2019 started like many days for Fred; he woke up early, dressed and headed downstairs to make coffee for Guyanne, his beloved wife. She asked him to wait for her but true to form he couldn't wait and passed peacefully. Fred was often in a hurry to get where he was going and rarely waited to follow - he lived life to the fullest and was always early! Fred made his mark on people, places, and institutions across the country and around the world as a soldier, mentor, patriarch, and volunteer, as well as a bit of a softy and a prankster.

Born in Morristown, New Jersey in 1938, Fred was the only child of the late Del and Sally Renigar and absolutely their pride and joy. His father blessed him with a kindness that especially shone through with his love of his grandchildren, his special bond with the family pets, and his playful doting on Guyanne. Every one had a clever nickname and shared an inside joke with him. His mother gifted him a British stiff upper lip and a Scottish stubborn streak. Few could win an argument with him. His parental lineage gave Fred a wonderfully hard exterior and a sweet interior.

As a teenager, Fred had not yet honed his leadership skills but certainly practiced his mischievous instincts with pranks and adventures. He also met his future wife Guyanne, became fast friends with her whole family, and found his love of service. He and Guyanne married while he attended Norwich University as a cadet and soccer player on October 25, 1958. They celebrated 60 years of marriage last fall and along the way they had many memorable anniversary celebrations and renewed their vows, sharing their love with friends and family, and modeling true partnership to the very end.

His love of service and his leadership skills put Fred on a path to a successful career in the military and later in business, where he mastered the art of motivating, shaping and leading people to realize their full potential. Fred joined the U.S. Army as an officer upon graduation from Norwich and served with honor on active duty in the First Armored Division and the First Calvary until 1966. His military service included moves across the country to Georgia, Texas, New York, and back home to New Jersey, as well as a stint in Korea where he managed the Bob Hope Tour. For the rest of his life he wore proudly his First Cav cap.

When he retired from active service, Fred stayed in the people leadership business, rising through the corporate world as a human resources executive, leading programs and initiatives to build teams and organizations to work together more efficiently and with greater collaboration across borders and boundaries. He worked with Fortune 500 companies in Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, and Michigan with global responsibilities that took him to Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan and throughout Europe. And his appetite for leading by learning led him to return to school time and again, including programs at Rutgers, Cornell, the University of Michigan, the Wharton School, and Insead in France.

He retired in 2001, after 28 years of service with Unisys in Blue Bell, PA as a corporate officer and Vice President of Human Resources. Fred was widely respected as a business partner and trusted advisor to CEOs, as a mentor to generations of diverse men and women in the U.S. and globally, and as devoted family man.

Throughout his career and life, Fred made time for his family, his community and his church, serving as a Scout Master, a bank and library board member, a chair of President Ford's '76 NJ campaign, a Vietnamese refugee sponsor, soccer and softball coach, tennis parent, and church elder. He also enjoyed many gin martinis and manhattans, a few cigars, some fireworks, and hunting and fishing - often all at the same time. His fun also included practical jokes, a sharp wit and a competitive spirit.

In his retirement, Fred built on his long record of service by becoming a Congregational Deacon and a member of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod Candidacy Committee, including 6 years as the first lay person chair. Fondly known as the "Freakin' Deacon," Fred worked with and mentored several pastors across his 16 years of service at the Synod, as well as leading bible studies and retreats at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church. He pursued his passion for fishing with his boat on Lake Ontario and frequent outings with the Upper Dublin fishing group. Fred remained a man of action in retirement jumping to the call of duty to volunteer with the Salvation Army in the pits of the Twin Towers after 9/11, helping the needy and the homeless through One House at a Time and the Chosen 300, as well as sponsoring Muslim refugee families from Russia and Iraq starting over and becoming citizens in the United States.

At home, Fred surrounded himself with his loves - books, gardens, koi ponds, well fed deer and birds, his beloved dog Charlemagne, and most of all the love of his life and eternal partner Guyanne. In addition to his loving wife, Fred is survived by his son Fred and daughter in law Kathy Renigar of Pittsford, MI; his daughter Robin and son in law Rick Alamat of Brighton, MI; and his son Del and daughter in law Gwen Renigar of Bethesda, MD. He was a proud grandfather to Sarah, Justin, and Zachary Renigar; Eric and Andrew Alamat; and Emma and Claire Renigar; and great grandfather to Annabelle, Audrey and Evelyn Renigar. Survivors also include two brothers and three sisters in law, Scottish and English cousins, and nieces and nephews who consider him a brother, second father and favorite uncle.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that anyone so moved make a donation to the American Red Cross PO Box 37839 Boone, IA 50037-0839 (https://www.redcross.org/donations/ways-to-donate/), the United Lutheran Seminary 7301 Germantown Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19119 (https://unitedlutheranseminary.edu/giving/), or the Upper Dublin Lutheran Church Capital Improvements Fund 411 Susquehanna Road Ambler, PA 19002 (http://udlc.org/ under Simply Giving https://www.eservicepayments.com/).

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