Fred Korzon, age 89, of Bloomfield Township, Mich., passed away peacefully Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013, at his home, surrounded by his family.
He was born Jan. 1, 1924, in Detroit, Mich., to Minnie (Kreeger) and Adam Korzon. A proud veteran, he served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II as a bombardier with the B-17 Flying Fortress. During that time, he fell in love with Ruth Mathiak, and proposed before he was shipped overseas to Italy. They were married on June 1, 1946, and shared 66 loving and devoted years together.
After they were married, Ruth and Fred moved to rural Bloomfield Township where Fred pursued residential building and started a family. He was instrumental in the development of Fox Croft and Shorewood Hills. Having a need for greater intellectual involvement, at age 38 he earned his B.A. in philosophy while on the dean’s list of the charter class of Oakland University, working full time and raising three children. He then earned his MA from the University of Michigan. Wishing to make a positive impact in the young lives of others, he became a humanities and history teacher at Pontiac Central High School and Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School.
The apex of his career was serving the citizens of Bloomfield Township and maintaining its natural beauty — first as trustee, then treasurer and finally as supervisor. He was Bloomfield Township Supervisor for 18 years and retired at the age of 75 in January 2000. During that time he sat on the board and was president of the South Eastern Michigan Council of Governments, the board of Oakland County Parks and Recreation and was an avid supporter of the Lutheran City Ministries. After his retirement, he taught an honors course in ethics and morality at Lahser High School. Encouraging the intellectual development of young people was one of his passions.
He lived a God-centered life focused on faith, family and high moral values. He was an active member of Our Shepherd Lutheran Church and later Cross of Christ Lutheran Church. He was also a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Leland, Mich., where he built a beach-front home and enjoyed his summers with his family.
Fred cherished his beloved wife and family. He was a small plane pilot and an avid book reader, especially on the topics of Judeo-Christian values, the meaning of life and morality. Fred was always eager to share his books and humor with others. He traveled throughout the world with family and friends creating loving memories. He is survived by his loving wife, Ruth; children Tim (Sherry) Korzon of Ann Arbor, Mich.; Mark (Madelynn) Korzon of Suttons Bay, Mich.; and Deborah (Ron) Parker of Pagosa Springs, Colo., his beloved granddaughters Kristal (Brian), Shanna (Ian), Marina, Natalie, Hilary (Steven) and Monica and great-grand children Ryder and Sloan.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Clarence Korzon.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Fred Korzon Scholarship Fund, Concordia University, 4090 Geddes Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.
