Frederick Herbert Abbott, Jr.

PRINCETON,MA/FT. MYERS,FL - Fred Abbott of Princeton, MA, Ft. Myers, FL and recently Manchester, NH passed on June 19, 2021 at the home of his daughter Ellen, surrounded by loving family. He was born to Frederick Herbert Abbott and Gertrude Mary Jackson in Providence, RI on Sept. 21, 1930.

He leaves his beloved wife of 61 years, Shirley Hubbard Abbott; daughter Gayle Aroian and husband Bob of Barre, MA; daughter Wendy Paradiso of Attleboro, MA; son Frederick Herbert Abbott III and wife Kathryn of Charlton, MA; and Ellen Hastings of Manchester, NH and husband Bill; also grandchildren Emily Aroian, Gabriel Aroian, Adam Aroian, Ian Aroian, Christina Paradiso, Michelle Theodat and husband Frank, Danielle Paradiso, Ashley Young and husband Jonathan, Erin Abbott-Gardner and husband Jonathan, Charles Abbott, William Hastings, Matthew Hastings, Mary Megan Hastings and Robert Hastings; six great-grandchildren and two on the way; also sisters-in-law Joan Anderson and Betty Perkins and husband John, and nieces and nephews He was pre-deceased by his first wife, Beverly Glockner Abbott in 1956 and by his son-in-law, David Paradiso in 2006.

No matter your place in the family, Fred was Pa to everyone. All were loved deeply and protectively. His mechanical creativity and ability to invent solutions were legendary, as was his proclivity for hard work. He was a mechanic at Hubbard's Garage in East Princeton and worked at Crocker Burbank Paper Mill and at Digital. He and Ma owned two fish and chip stores and always had home businesses (Abbott Realty, Abbott Camping Center, Jotul Woodstove dealership, raising AKC German Shepherds).
Pa was absolutely certain that dangers lurked around every corner and that he had a solution for all of them, whether he mailed you internet articles on the latest wildlife menace, dug a full-sized bomb shelter by hand, taught survival skills to boy scouts, or just casually handed you your snakebite kit for your recreational walk. He held patents and made chore lists every day. He was fascinated by rocks and minerals and by how things work. He and Ma loved camping cross-country and searching for gold with panning equipment he fashioned himself. In 1969, he outfitted the camper and the whole family took their legendary Summer Tour of America. While living in Ft. Myers, he was very active in community events. Everyone knows what a nuisance it is to put up a Christmas tree every year. Fred's solution? Decorate a tree and leave it up, then install a room partition which he would remove every year after Thanksgiving to reveal the trimmed tree.

He knew his way was always best and that convinced him that even though he was a lousy student, he was a great teacher. He advised, instructed, demonstrated and then made you do it yourself. He was adamant that life was to be lived honorably and straightforwardly and let the chips fall where they may.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the First Congregational Church of Princeton, 14 Mountain Road, Princeton, MA at 11:30 am on Saturday, June 26, 2021. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Congregational Church of Princeton.

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