Fred was born in Epping, north London on 9 November 1927, the only son of Frederick Walter and Charlotte May Asbury. He grew up in Ipswich where his father was a Customs & Excise officer. Since his 3 sisters (Lilian, Sheila and Mildred) were much older than him, he often spent time with his cousin John (whose son Chris was to later become his godson). After his mother died when he was 9,he said he reckoned that he then had 3 mothers: his birth mother, Auntie Dot and his stepmother Constance, who also give him a half-sister Elizabeth who now lives in Canada.

The Second World War forced the family to move to a suburb of Liverpool after Ipswich docks closed. Fred recalled many happy times at school there, especially being able to buy many now controlled chemicals including sodium from the local pharmacy to make his own chemistry set. Living safely north of Liverpool the family missed the bombing and he remembered the ships horns blowing for VE Day.
His studies were extended by National Service, which he spent with the Royal Corp of Signals and was posted to near the Mount of Olives in what was then Palestine. There, he didn't seem to have been on particularly active service because he managed to find time to build his own microscope and telescope – interests that would continue throughout his life. I'm sure if the British Army hadn't pulled out of Palestine so quickly, they could have used Fred's skills for evidenced based debate and conflict avoidance to have helped the rather tricky situation there.
In his last days, he was pleased to receive a a gift from Father Russell of a cross made of olive wood from the Holy Land, which brought back pleasant memories of his time there.

Returning to the UK, he studied metallurgy at Sheffield University. He took holiday jobs at Fort William (where he chose a clear day to climb Ben Nevis) and on a farm camp picking strawberries (which he developed a life-long aversion to, along with most other fruit). Apart from enjoying walking and cycling during this time, he also used his demob suit to go pot-holing.

Fred's first job brought him to south London, where he had digs in Blackheath and was unfortunately where he was knocked over while crossing a road. The accident broke his leg necessitating the insertion of a titanium rod to strengthen a bone in his lower leg. This was new technology in the 1950s and an apt repair for a metallurgist. It certainly lasted well and caused no issues over many thousand miles of walking.
Then moving to Crawley with Telcon metals, he graduated from a motorcycle to a 3- wheeled Bond mini car, which he said was scary to drive through the Blackwall tunnel on days out in London. By the time he joined the Central Electricity Research Laboratories in Leatherhead in 1957, he had progressed to 4 wheels. We will shortly hear from one of his colleagues from CERL and the car club.
Also in the 1950s Fred learnt Russian and was able to read Pushkin in the original language.
His love of walking saw him climb much of Snowdonia, the Lake District and further afield. He joined the Holiday Fellowship, or HF which was also nicknamed 'Husbands Found', and indeed it was a shared love of walking that first brought Fred and Audrey together.
They married in 1961 and settled into a newly-built house in Roffey, later moving to Forestfield. Two children – Gillian and Timothy – soon arrived. Fred was a doting father and built a well-used wooden climbing frame, fort and dolls house for them. Family holidays were often chosen on the basis of geologically interesting locations, with “look at that strata” becoming a family catch phrase.
Geology was only one of his many interests. A foray into home wine-making saw the family pick elder flowers, elderberries, rose petals, and even dandelion leaves to feed into bubbling demi-johns in the landing cupboard. The results were of variable quality and most, were quite drinkable.
Around this time he also developed an interest for church architecture and stained glass windows – cue family outings to cathedral cities. This may also have coincided with the onset of Timothy's illness that would continue for the rest of his young life. Losing a 15-year old son to cancer was tough, especially in an age before hospices and bereavement counseling. It did however strengthen his Christian faith.

Fred and Audrey supported each other through a long and happy marriage, celebrating their Ruby Wedding with family and friends. They enjoyed many holidays together, often to sunnier climes on the continent. When the volcano erupted in La Palma this summer, Fred took a close interest having visited both that island and all but one of the other Canaries over the years.
As he reached his 60s, it wasn't clear how Fred would spend his retirement. Earlier plans to spend more time with his cousin John sadly ended when John died suddenly. Fortunately, a new club called Probus came to the rescue and became the focus of his retirement years. Fred was a much-loved Founder member of the Horsham Forest club.
He soon became a very active member and joined a team organising monthly walks. All carefully reconnoitered and documented beforehand to assess the number of styles, and of course the all important pub for lunch afterwards. He took part in pretty much all of the over 300 walks and was still enjoying meeting Probus friends on the walks right up until lockdown.
He also assumed the role of official photographer for the club, diligently recording every social occasion and the names of everyone in the photographs for the club albums. Fred was seldom without his trusty camera bag, and we are lucky that he has left us such a detailed record of family, friends and events over the years.
The photographs didn’t just end up in albums. Many were taken as slides to illustrate many of the talks he gave to local groups. His godson Chris was a very great help in guiding Fred through the online challenges for producing slides in an increasingly digital world. From small beginnings, these blossomed into a well honed portfolio of talks on such diverse subjects as the weather, art and artists, church architecture and of course stained glass windows.
Invitations to give talks grew, and he became an established speaker at many local clubs and societies. Before each talk he spent several days rehearsing in his living room, and family were dissuaded from visiting during those times, in this way he was able to give long talks without notes, something that has been much remarked upon by those who heard him speak.

In 2008, Fred lost his beloved Audrey after her cancer returned, only the year after they had celebrated his 80th birthday together. His diaries show how much this impacted on his life in the following months. Fred, with her blessing, did return to social life. He began attending Sunday services at All Saints in Roffey, finding comfort and a new group of friends there. He learnt to cook some basic foodstuffs, even some green vegetables - asparagus being a particular favourite.
One of Fred’s virtues was the capacity to keep in touch with friends, family and acquaintances that he met on holiday. And that is how he became reacquainted with Barbara after they were both widowed. They enjoyed time together in a very compatible and relaxed friendship. And took a mutual pleasure in completing the crossword in the I newspaper, phoning to check how each had done. They accompanied each other on many trips. A particular highlight was their cruise along the Norwegian fjords. This also afforded the chance to add to Fred’s slide collection with the Arctic Cathedral...
Alongside Probus, Fred was also an active member of U3A, taking over some of Audrey's classes. These included music appreciation, art appreciation and discovering local churches.
Fred took a close interest in the lives of the younger members of the family. He was conscientious in remembering birthdays and was glad to encourage and hear how their studies were progressing.
Fred was fortunate to remain active and able to drive safely right until this summer. He was sympathetic to friends who could no longer drive, always ready to offer lifts to social events, appointments or the shops. And it was a great sadness to him when he realised he would no longer be able to help Cynthia – the widow of his good friend Derek – in this way. Indeed it was only a very few months ago that he realised that he had become “cared for” rather than a carer of others. Although he did find that he quite enjoyed being looked after.
He received his final diagnosis with calm acceptance. As he said – at the age of 93, something was going to get him in the end. He felt he'd had a good life, and there wasn't anything he still wanted to do. Not something many people can say.

Fred could be stubborn, slow to change his habits, and would more than often choose to wear a gilet with many pockets when other men would have worn a jacket. However, he was also kind-hearted, rarely said a bad word against others and a good friend to many. He was a true gentle man and he will be greatly missed.