Frederick "Fred" Michael McDermott

Frederick 'Fred' Michael McDermott, 78 of Queen Valley, Arizona, passed away peacefully on April 30, 2015, of natural causes. Being a native Montanan and spending most of his life there, a Celebration of Life will be held in Helena, Montana, on June 27. Fred was born in 1936 in Helena, Montana. He graduated from Cathedral High School in 1954 and joined the Air Force serving 4 years. He was married to Linda Sue Carlson on June 22, 1957, and truly celebrated every single one of their almost 58 years of marriage. After leaving the Air Force, Fred worked for Mountain Bell (Qwest) for 30 years, retiring in 1990. Fred thoroughly enjoyed camping with a young family and then moving on to 4 different cabins in the Seeley/Placid Lake area. He loved sports and was a Montana Basketball Official for 25 years and was inducted into the Montana Official's Association Hall of Fame in 1993. He also passed on his love of basketball by coaching his sons' school basketball teams and then continuing to coach when his children were no longer in elementary and middle school. In the mid-70's he started golfing and a new passion entered his life. After retirement, he and Linda moved permanently to the Seeley area where he marshaled at the Double Arrow Golf Resort for 17 years. He liked to tell the story about one of the most painful things he had to do while being a marshal was to ask a young lady to please put her clothes back on. After describing what she had on, because he had never seen such a thing, the Pro's wife told Fred he had just been introduced to a thong. During that time they became snowbirds traveling with their golf clubs to Queen Valley, Arizona, for the winter. Fred was also a terrific dancer, something he did not pass on to any of his children. Fred is survived by his wife, Linda; sister Merrilyn (Phil) Ricker; daughter Jenny (Ernie) Satterthwait, sons Jeff McDermott, Jay (Michele) McDermott and Jim (Jennifer) McDermott; 9 grandchildren and 4 great-granddaughters; and his former daughter-in-law, Julie McDermott. He is preceded in death by his parents Fred and Mary Ellen McDermott. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Queen Valley Fire Auxiliary, 1494 E. Queen Valley Drive, Queen Valley, AZ 85118. On behalf of Fred, his family would like to thank The Crossing: Hospice Care and the staff at Kopper Crest group home for making his final days comfortable and dignified.

Frederick "Fred" Michael McDermott

June 12, 1936 - April 30, 2015