Fred Leroy Sawatzky, 77, of Stillwater, passed away on Sunday, October 10, 2021. A “come-and-go” Memorial Reception will be held from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, November 7, 2021 at the Meditations Event Center, 1205 N. Country Club Drive.
Fred was born February 18,1944 in Cushing, Oklahoma to Pete F. and Mary Ella (Gillie) Sawatzky. His first marriage was to Joyce Anderson in 1967 in Cushing, which ended in divorce in1991. In July 1996 he married Shelley (Streetman) Heister in Stillwater and was happily married for 25 years.
Fred grew up in Cushing and graduated from Cushing High School in 1962. He attended OSU, receiving his S.S. degree in Education in 1966 and a Master’s degree in Counseling in 1971. Fred spent his early career in education as a teacher and counselor in Cushing. In 1976 he was hired as a counselor at Stillwater High School. Fred also worked as a counselor for the Stillwater Youth Services Project at the “old middle school” building for several years under a cooperative agreement with the Stillwater School District. He later returned to Stillwater High School as a full-time counselor where he was also in charge of the graduation ceremonies for many years. Fred spent a total of 25 years with Stillwater Schools until his retirement in 2002.
In addition to his career as an educator, he owned and managed rental properties until his passing. He particularly enjoyed renting to college students and formed close relationships with many of them. He enjoyed buying and selling antiques and going to antique auctions and shows with his wife Shelley. He also had a passion for classic cars and motorcycles as well as the newer high-performance varieties.
Fred was perhaps most proud of his bodybuilding and powerlifting accomplishments. He was the 1971 AAU State Champion for Olympic Weightlifting at age 27, as well as “Mr. State Fair of Oklahoma 1979” and “Senior Mr. Oklahoma 1979” in AAU competition at age 35.
Fred had a quick wit and an amazing memory of past events. He loved getting together with friends and telling stories about the past. He was a student of life and history, loving diverse subjects such as physiology and President Theodore Roosevelt.
He is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Betty Jo Sawatzky, his brother Pete J. “Bud” Sawatzky, and his sister-in law Lula Mae Sawatzky.
He is survived by his wife Shelley Sawatzky, stepson Zachary Heister, niece Sue Burns, nephew Pete Jay Sawatzky, great-nephew Dustin Williams, and great-niece Tiffany Steele.
The Family would like to thank Stillwater Medical Home Health, Karman Legacy Hospice, and SMC 3rd floor nursing staff for their amazing care.
Memorial donations may be made to Stillwater High School Christmas Fund c/o Lindy Zamborsky, Stillwater High School, 1224 N. Husband, Stillwater, OK 74075. (This fund helps pay for many necessities for students in need.)
Condolences may be sent to the family and an online obituary viewed by visiting www.strodefh.com.
