Fred Korzon, age 89 of Bloomfield Township, passed away
peacefully Saturday evening, February 16, 2013 at his home surrounded by his
family.
He was born January 1, 1924 in Detroit, Michigan to Adam and
Minnie (Kreeger) Korzon. A proud
veteran, he served in the US Air Force during World War II as a bombardier on
the B-17 Flying Fortress. During that
time, he charmed the heart of Ruth Mathiak, and proposed before he was shipped
overseas to Italy. They were married on
June 1, 1946 and shared 66 loving and devoted years together.
After they were married, Ruth and Fred moved to rural Bloomfield
Township where Fred pursued residential building and started a family. He was instrumental in the development of Fox
Croft and Shorewood Hills. Having a need
for greater intellectual involvement, at age 38 he earned his BA in philosophy
while on the dean’s list of the charter class of Oakland University, working
full time and raising a three children. He then earned his MA from the University of
Michigan and became a humanities and history teacher at Pontiac Central High School
and Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School,
wishing to make a positive impact in the young lives of others.
The apex of his career was serving the citizens of
Bloomfield Township and maintaining its natural beauty, first as Trustee, then
Treasurer and finally as Supervisor. He
was Bloomfield Township Supervisor for 18 years and retired at the age of 75 in
January 2000. During that time he sat on the board and was President of the
South Eastern Michigan Council of Governments, the board of Oakland County
Parks and Recreation and was an avid supporter of the Lutheran City
Ministries. After his retirement he taught
an honors course in Ethics and Morality at Lahser HS. Encouraging the intellectual development of
young people was one of his passions.
He lived a God centered life focused on faith, family and high
moral values. He was an active member of
Our Shepherd Lutheran Church and later Cross of Christ Lutheran Church. He was also a member of Immanuel Lutheran
Church in Leland, MI, where he built a beach front home and enjoyed his summers
with his family.
Fred cherished his beloved wife and family. He was a small
plane pilot and an avid reader. Fred was
always eager to share his books with others, especially on the topics of the
meaning of life and morality. He
traveled throughout the world with family and friends creating loving
memories. He is survived by his loving wife,
Ruth; children Tim (Sherry) Korzon of Ann Arbor, Mark (Madelynn) Korzon of
Suttons Bay and Deborah (Ron) Parker of Pagosa Springs, CO., his beloved
granddaughters Kristal (Brian), Shanna (Ian), Marina, Natalie, Hilary (Steven) and Monica
and great-grand children Ryder and Sloan.
He was preceded in death by his brother Clarence Korzon.
