Fred Frank Linley
Decatur
January 7, 1930 –
October 30, 2013
People loved him, golf balls and largemouth bass feared him . Fred Frank Linley died October 30, 2013, undoubtedly leaving behind an almost-finished crossword puzzle, in pen.
He was Fred only to those who just met him, and to Peggy, his wife of 49 years who preceded him in death, when he stayed up too late playing cards. To the rest of his friends, family and anyone who knew him more than a half-hour, he was Fred-O.
He loved raw oysters and all-you-can-eat snow crab legs, enjoyed the lunch special at the Caddo Cafeteria and a warm bowl of tomato soup, and he never turned down a piece of cake . or another piece of cake. He liked fishing on Anderson Creek, hitting golf balls on any course that would have him and calling square dances.
Fred-O would have been a champion fork lift driver if such awards were handed out, and he could sew a shell sack like a seamstress. He idolized James Bond, cheered for Auburn football, complained about the Braves and laughed at more stand-up routines than a casting agent.
He was loved by his kids – Patricia, Garold, Mary Beth and Beckey – and was basically a hero to his grandsons, whom he taught to play low-hole poker, to bet the right trifecta at the dog track, to work a plastic worm and to mix the perfect toddy.
Fred-O leaves behind his son, Garold, and his wife, Kim, daughter, Patricia Moon and her husband, Paul, daughter, Mary Beth Hays and daughter, Beckey Beguin. There were also eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Those who knew him will forever miss him and the laughs he always brought. But it does bring at least one more smile knowing he departed this earth with the same, crisp $100 bill that allowed him to dodge dozens of dinner checks with a simple, “All I’ve got is a hundred ..”
Visitation will be today at Roselawn Funeral Home from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A graveside service at Decatur Cemetery will follow at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you buy yourself an Early Times and 7-up and then bet a college football parlay.
