Fred Cardinal

Fred always said that an obituary only needed three things: I was born, I lived, I died. True to his nature, he was a man of few words and simple wisdom. But those who loved him know that those three words could never be enough.

Fred was raised in Lancaster, New Hampshire. After high school he proudly served his country in the United States Air Force for four years. He then began a long and distinguished career with IBM, first in New York and later in Essex Junction, VT, where he met the love of his life, Jane. They married in 1967 and built a beautiful life together for 59 years.

Fred was a quiet and steady man who showed his love not in grand gestures but in the everyday. He tended his beloved vegetable garden and mowed the lawn with care. He built things with his own hands. And he crafted what his family will tell you was the finest peanut butter and jelly sandwich ever made. A production that famously took a gazillion minutes, because to Fred it was a science. To his family it was pure Fred.

In his retirement he could most often be found happily tinkering, particularly with old clocks, which he restored with the same quiet patience and precision he brought to everything in life. He had a lifelong love of classic cars and old airplanes, a passion he shared with his son David through countless car and air shows over the years. He delighted in the trivia his daughter Kathleen shared with him, and while he was genuinely curious about technology, his family suspected his legendary slowness in figuring out the simplest devices was at least partly intentional, just to keep everyone on their toes. He shared his love of the outdoors with his daughter Jennifer, whether climbing to Sterling Pond on Mount Mansfield together or sitting under the night sky, where he passed on his wonder for the stars and taught her the constellations.

He passed peacefully in the early morning hours of September 19, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family.

Fred was predeceased by his beloved daughter Penelope (Bobby), his parents Louis and Kathleen, and his brother James. He is survived by his wife, Jane; his daughters Kathleen (Brian) and Jennifer; his son David; his grandchildren Allison, Matthew, Lindsay, and Daniel; several cousins; Jane's nine sisters and brothers and their spouses; and a host of beloved nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held in the Minor Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 237 Route 7 South, Milton VT 05468. Fred's visitation will begin at 10 am on Thursday, September 24, 2026 with the service at 11AM.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorial donations to VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region in honor of the compassionate hospice care Fred received. Donations may be mailed to 7 Albert Cree Dr, Rutland, VT 05701 or made online at https://vermontvisitingnurses.org/donate/