CHICOPEE ~ Frederick W. “Fred” Rider, 95, of Chicopee, was Called Safely Home on Sunday, January 6, 2019. He passed into Eternal Life at Willimansett Center East in Chicopee surrounded by the care and comfort of his loving wife, Mary. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut on September 1, 1923, a beloved son of the late Frederick K. and Bessie E. (Curtiss) Rider. He was raised in Westfield, graduated from Westfield High School and lived in the city for many years before moving to Chicopee in 1989. Fred furthered his education and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Teaching from Westfield State Teachers College. Fred and his late brother, Vernon, were co-owners of the former Rider Tool and Gauge Company in Westfield. Fred was a longtime Machine Shop Teacher at the former Westfield Trade High School, which later became Westfield Technical Academy, and was very proud of his many students that went on in the trade service industry. During his long tenure in Westfield, Fred was the Faculty Manager for Athletics. He was an avid Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots fan and enjoyed hunting and fishing with his sons and friends. He enjoyed ballroom dancing, loved to garden during his younger years on the family farm in Westfield and later at his home in Chicopee and was a volunteer at Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen in Chicopee. He was a member of the Bethany Assembly of God in Agawam and volunteered at their food pantry. He leaves his beloved wife and best friend, Mary K. (Dowds) Crochiere Rider. They were married on November 24, 1989 at the former Saint Mary of the Assumption Church in the Willimansett section of Chicopee and were blessed with over 29 years of happiness together. He also leaves his two loving sons, Frederick W. Rider, Jr. and his partner, Elizabeth Matzko, of Agawam and Thomas W. Rider and his wife, Cynthia, of Vero Beach, FL; his five loving step-sons, George K. Crochiere and his wife, Nancy, of Pepperell, MA, Paul K. Crochiere and his wife, Nancy, of Amesbury, MA, Thomas M. Crochiere and his wife, Ann, of Wilbraham, Jeffrey D. Crochiere and his partner, Kia Smith, of South Dakota and Steven M. Crochiere and his wife, Parichart Saengchote of Longmont, CO; his three cherished grandchildren, Jennifer, Melanie and Thomas Rider; his eight cherished step-grandchildren, twins George and Gordon Crochiere, Danielle Cantor and her husband, Bradford, Rebecca Crochiere, Mary Clare Crochiere, Grace Crochiere, Makiya Crochiere and Mark Crochiere; his cherished step-great grandson, Henry Cantor; and his many dear nephews, nieces, cousins, friends and extended members of the Rider, Crochiere and Dowds families. Besides his parents, he was also predeceased by his loving son, William C. Rider; his dear brother, Vernon Rider and his wife, Alfreda; and his two dear sisters, Nellie Goodwin and her husband, David, and Barbara Sheehan. His relatives and friends are invited to attend visiting hours on Saturday morning, January 12, 2019 from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. which will be followed by a Prayer Service at 11 a.m. at the St. Pierre – Phaneuf Aldenville Chapels, (413-532-9806), 13 Dale Street, Chicopee, MA 01020, (funeral home will open at 8:30 a.m.). The parking lot and main entrance are located in the rear of the funeral home at 20 Lafayette Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. His burial will follow the Prayer Service at Sainte Rose Cemetery, 49 Olsen Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. His family requests that memorial donations be made in his memory to the Bethany Assembly of God, 580 Main Street. Agawam, MA 01001, or to Sainte Rose de Lima Church, c/o 15 Chapel Street, Chicopee, MA 01020 or to the Willimansett Center East Activity Fund, 11 Saint Anthony Street, Chicopee, MA 01013. For more details, please visit: www.stpierrephaneuf.com
