Thomas N. Frederick, 89, entered the presence of the Lord on October 10, 2022, at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, surrounded by his family. He was born July 14, 1933, in Alden, the son of Guy “Ham” and Grace (Belden).
Tom graduated Alden High School in 1951 and continued his education at Kansas State University. He graduated with a degree in Agricultural Economics in 1956. Tom was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, where he made many lifetime friends from across the state.
Tom was united in marriage to Shirley (Moran) on September 30, 1956, in Sylvia. They recently celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary. He joined the army in 1956 where he was active duty for six years. Tom and Shirley moved to Hielbronn, Germany for two years while serving at the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart. Upon returning from Germany, Tom worked at the Alden State Bank for over sixty-one years. Tom and Shirley built their home in Alden, raising three children, Le’Ann, Lance, and Drew. It was a family joke that Tom was a banker and ended up with all three children growing up to be custom harvesters. Love of family and being called, “Papa” was his greatest joy. Tom was a community servant, serving as the mayor of the City of Alden for 18 years. One of Tom’s great loves was nature and landscaping, so you would always see him around town trimming trees and spraying weeds. Tom was an elder and longtime song leader at the Sylvia Church of Christ. He was known as a gentle and faithful man who loved his church family dearly.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Guy and Grace; and brother, Terry Frederick. He is survived by his wife, Shirley; daughter, Le’Ann (Michael Dolechek) of Claflin; son, Lance (Lynette) of Alden; son, Drew (Connie) of Alden; grandchildren, Dane (Kristin) of Claflin; Zachary (Brooke) of Sterling; Zayn of Alden; Kassidy of Wichita; Karly of Lyons; and great-grandchild, Grayson of Sterling.
Funeral service will be at 10:00 A.M., Saturday, October 15, 2022, at the Birzer Funeral Home, Sterling, with Matt Fowler officiating. Burial will follow at the Alden Valley Cemetery with military honors. Visitation will be from 2:00 until 7:00 P.M., Friday, October 14, 2022, at Birzer Funeral Home, Sterling with family present from 5:00 until 7:00 P.M.