Frederick A. "Freddie" Schaak

FREDERICK A. “FREDDIE” SCHAAK Funeral services for longtime area resident Frederick A. “Freddie” Schaak will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, December 11 at the Cortez Christian Church with Rick Bender and Charles Story officiating. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery. Military Honors will be conducted by Ute Mountain American Legion Post #75. Freddie was born on April 15, 1918 in Alamosa, Colo. the son of Frederick and Elizabeth Magdelena (Zeiser) Schaak. He passed away on Thursday, December 6, 2007 in Denver, Colo. at the age of 89. On December 23, 1945 Freddie married Berta LaVerne Seelig in Colorado Springs, Colo. Together they shared 58 years of marriage before Berta’s death 3 years and 4 days prior to Freddie’s passing. Freddie proudly served his country from 1941 to 1945 as a radio operator for the 306th bomb squad in the 8th Air Force in World War II. He was a member of the Cortez Christian Church, Gideons, and American Legion. Freddie farmed and ranched at Alamosa on the Rio Grande Ranch in 1938 and moved to Pleasant View and farmed since 1950. He was still loading hay and doing some field work up to this year. For many years Freddie served on the RE-1 School Board. In the last three years he has danced three or four nights a week, sang songs some of those nights, took lessons to play the guitar and played in the kitchen band at the nursing homes and a month ago was starting to take violin lessons. Surviving Freddie are his two sons, John C. Schaak of Castle Rock, Colo., and David F. Schaak and wife, Regina of Cortez; five granddaughters, Jaima DiMartino and husband, Phil of Colorado Springs, Colo., Leah Schaak of Kansas City, Missouri, Christina, Sierra, and Jenna Schaak all of Cortez; two great grandchildren, Ariana and Zion DiMartino; and one sister, Elizabeth Hall of Albuquerque, N.M. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Berta; a son, Dale Root Schaak in 1977; and two sisters, Dorothy White and Annie Dennison. Memorial contributions may be made in Freddie’s name to the Cortez Christian Church or to the Cortez Senior Citizens Center.