Obituary of Carl Ross Frederick

Carl Frederick, long time resident of Iowa City, Iowa, died peacefully on June 27th from cancer after a 3 year hard-fought battle. He was born October 23, 1953 to Marvin and Lenore Frederick and grew up in Anamosa, Iowa. He attended the University of Iowa in the early seventies, studying art. He worked construction and for Elderly Services. One of his clients was Irving Weber, a noted resident of Iowa City. Carl said Irving was the nicest republican he ever knew. Carl worked at the University of Iowa Hospital for 21 years in a variety of units, most recently on the Neurology floor as an Environmental Aide. He was a huge presence and was loved and appreciated by patients and co-workers alike. Carl loved sketching portraits of family and friends. He was a veritable encyclopedia of music, especially folk and bluegrass, and owned a remarkable vinyl collection. As a bird lover he enjoyed attracting them with many bird feeders. Another of his hobbies was planting flowers for them, especially passion flowers and Mexican sunflowers. Riding his bike was his greatest joy and he rode RAGBRAI since the 70's. Even after his cancer was progressing he could ride 50-100 miles in a day. He also rode in the winter before it was popular. Carl got his love of camping, hiking and canoeing from his dad. Their favorite places were the Boundary Waters and Wapsipinicon River. Carl had many friends in Iowa City from biking and working at the hospital, most importantly Anne, who was a blessing to him in his final weeks and days. Carl is survived by his 2 sisters, Joyce Connors of Houston, Texas and Gwen Frederick of Denver, Colorado, 2 nieces of Houston, a nephew in Australia and their families including 11 great nieces and nephews. Some of the things his family and friends remember about Carl are that he was sweet, tender, sensitive, generous, thoughtful, genuine, humorous, a kid at heart, had an inquisitive mind, loved the outdoors, was a hard worker and had one pace --- fast. In short, he was one of a kind. In his last days he often quoted a song by Townes Van Zandt "If it rained an ocean I'd drink it dry and lay me down dissatisfied". We know you are now at peace and very satisfied, Carl. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Raptor Center or the Bike Library. A memorial will be planned in Iowa City in October.