Frederick Walter Peery, better known as “Fritz”, left us sometime in the night of April 21-22, 2017. We suspect it was a massive heart attack, and we like to think he didn’t feel a thing.
Fritz was born in San Francisco in 1943 to Helen and Norman Peery. He graduated from George Washington High School in 1961, having learned the value of the craft and art of mechanics when his high schoo lEnglish teacher traded him a year of passing grades in exchange for auto maintenance.
Midnight races on The Great Highway in his ’35 Ford with the Chrysler Hemi engine taught him the finer points of drift, balance, tires and all that pit stuff that endeared him so the guys at the Ukiah Speedway.
CalTrans taught him surveying and Highway 280 is his handiwork. He also learned to play a mean hand of the bridge while sitting around on the road crews. Somebody taught him auto paint and body work. The paint eventually burned out his lungs, but he because a master at framework and auto body reconstruction. Many a Cloverdale hog hunter has him to thank for ironing out that pickup that had rolled down the side of a mountain.
Fritz moved to Cloverdale 1974ish and worked for several auto body shops in Santa Rosa & Cloverdale. When the toxics because too much, he had the good fortune to meet the late John Wright, Civil Engineer, and he began surveying for Mr. Wright.
All the while, Fritz had “the rack”, an extremely effective piece of equipment used to straighten cars. Little old ladies with the dented fenders and a $500 repair quote would be brought to him by their gentlemen friends and Fritz would fix it for $20. The local frame shops he charged $40.
Cars became plastic, so Fritz turned his talents to art – metal, wood, etched glass, ceramics and fabulous knives. A story is told that one local fisherman was cleaning his catch up near the Lost Coast with a fillet knife Fritz made especially for him. A stranger walked up, looked at the knife and said “Oh, I see you know Fritz.”
Fritz didn’t need recognition for his accomplishments. Most of his public art is unsigned. In 2006, he and his dear friend, the esteemed Maui artist Tom Faught built the Queen Kaahumanu statue in Kahului, Maui. Fritz designed and constructed the interior armature that keeps it upright, safe and strong. Closer to home, in the Cotati plaza, the Accordion Man was done by James Kelly with Fritz once again designing and constructing the interior framework.
Fritz loved to cook for his friends, loved motorcycles, abalone diving, growing his own vegetables, loved the Elkhorn Ranch, and the Sunday night jazz hour on KZYX. He was a kind and generous man, funny, a loyal friend, a brilliant craftsman, and a all-around good guy. He was loved by many and will be missed by all.
Please join us for a Celebration of Fritz’s life on Saturday, June 17, 2017, 1-4pm at the old Crocker Inn, Cloverdale.
