Stanley “Stan” Fritzler

Jerome- Surrounded by family both near and far, Stanley "Stan" Milton Fritzler, 95, passed peacefully from this life on January 29, 2015, just as the sun rose above the horizon.

Stan was born to Harry and Hazel Fritzler on April 17, 1919 in Gooding, ID.  Despite being a child of the Great Depression, the stories he shared of his early years were idyllic:  Pheasant hunting with his uncles, hiking in the Snake River Canyon, sheep drives in the Wood River Valley, and camping in the Sawtooth Mountains with his parents.  On October 15 , 1941, he married Loretta Belle Lopez at St. Edward’s Catholic Church in Twin Falls, ID, and the two of them began a journey that took them to California, Ohio, back to California and, ultimately, home to Idaho in 1950 where they settled on the Fritzler farm. Stan held various jobs until 1957, when he began his career with the Idaho Department of Highways, first as a member of a survey crew with the engineering department, then as an appraiser and right-of-way agent until his retirement in 1983.

Stan was a man of many talents and interests.  Upon his return to Idaho, he began with a coal shed and turned it into the home where he raised his family; however, he was also a skilled woodworker, crafting many items over the years that continue to grace not only his own home, but those of his children, and his spiritual home, St. Jerome’s Catholic Church.  He loved rock hunting, and spent countless hours finding treasures that from the outside, seemed unremarkable, but under the skill of his fingers and his trusty rock saw, revealed beauty that few could have imagined.  He loved to read, and could hold his own in conversations ranging from current local and world events, to farming, history, theology, and especially politics.  His true love, however, was anything related to science and technology, and he learned to use an iPad at the age of 94 to keep up with his extended family on Facebook, and to order items from Amazon.  He passed his love of the Idaho outdoors on to his children, teaching them the intricacies of fishing, as well as the skill and patience necessary to not only set up a large canvas tent in the pouring rain after dark, but to find the humor in it as well.  Many of those camping trips are the stuff of legend, and guaranteed to elicit much laughter when brought up at family gatherings.  He was skilled in the kitchen as well, making soups, sauces, breads, and wines that would satisfy even the toughest critic, and made raiding the refrigerator a tasty adventure.

The greatest legacy Stan leaves behind is his commitment to family, and his unwavering faith.  He always believed that family was the circle, God was the center, and as long as you were still talking, things would be all right.  At the end, when Parkinson’s was taking its toll, he never complained, stating simply that “God will never give me more than I can handle.”

Stan is survived by his wife of 73 years, Loretta Belle Lopez Fritzler, children Mark (Pam) Fritzler, Baltimore, MD, Christine (Larry) Coonts, Orofino, ID, Kathy (David) Burgess, Jerome, ID, Kurt (Andrea) Fritzler, Portland, OR, Claire (Mark) Annis, Boise, ID, Denise Matthiesen, Meridian, ID, Michele (Ron) Bonneau, Caldwell, ID, 14 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Hazel Fritzler of Jerome, ID.  A prayer vigil will be held Friday, February 13, 2015 at 7:00 p.m., St. Jerome’s Catholic Church, 216 2 ^nd Ave. East, Jerome.  Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, February 14, 2015 at St. Jerome’s with a reception to follow.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to: Save the Children, c/o Lysa Ratliff , 2000 L. Street NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC  20036 (please designate for U.S. emergencies), Visions Hospice Care, 1770 Park View Drive, Twin Falls, ID, 83301, or the St. Jerome’s Catholic Church Building Fund, PO Box 169, Jerome, ID 83338.  Arrangements are under the care of Farnsworth Mortuary of Jerome.