Mass of Christian Burial for Richard D. (Tony) Fritz, 84, of Aberdeen, will be 1:00 p.m., Friday, January 27, 2012, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 409 2nd Avenue NE, Aberdeen with Father J. Joseph Holzhauser Celebrant and Deacon Peter Mehlhaff officiating. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery with military rites conducted by the Sidney L. Smith American Legion Post #24 of Aberdeen. Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen is in charge of arrangements.
Liturgical wake service and rosary will be 7:00 p.m., Thursday, January 26, 2012, at the mortuary. Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Thursday at the mortuary and one hour prior to the Mass on Friday at the church.
Tony passed away Monday, January 23, 2012 at Avera St. Luke’s Hospital, Aberdeen of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. Blessed be his memory.
Richard D. (Tony) Fritz was born on July 23, 1927 at Waubay, South Dakota to Anton Edward and Irene Agnes (Graham) Fritz. The family resided in Milbank, Aberdeen, Lemmon and Mobridge, South Dakota. Tony graduated from Mobridge High School with the Class of 1945. Tony joined the United States Navy and served his country until the time of his Honorable Discharge. He then returned to Mobridge and worked with the Milwaukee Railroad.
Tony was united in marriage to Magdalena (Maggie) Geier on September 17, 1952 at Denver, Colorado. Their marriage was blessed with eight children. Tony and Maggie made their home in Mobridge where he was employed at Davidson Chevrolet. In 1955, he was hired by The Chevrolet Motor Division as a District Sales Manager. The family moved to Aberdeen in 1966 and Tony remained working until the time of his retirement in 1984. For the past twenty years he and Maggie spent the winter months in Arizona. Tony continued to make Aberdeen his home until the time of his death.
Tony was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Aberdeen and was a past member of the Knights of Columbus. He often attended daily mass and was an Alter Server as a young boy into his adulthood. He was also a member of the Sidney L. Smith American Legion Post #24 in Aberdeen and a past-member of the Aberdeen Elks Lodge 1046. He enjoyed fishing and hunting with his sons and the Chevy gang.
Surviving Tony are his wife, Maggie Fritz of Aberdeen; his children, Brad (Linda) Fritz of Missoula, MT, Mary (Lee) Bjerke of Battle Lake, MN, Becky (John) Weismantel of Watertown, SD, Tom (Marlyce) Fritz of Sioux Falls, SD, Kathy (Todd) Stotz of Elkhorn, NE, Amy (Todd) Zens of Aberdeen and Nancy (David) Kruger of Twin Brooks, SD; 22 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one infant son, Joseph Fritz and one sister, Donna Wolf.
