Fred E. Stotzer

 Mr. Fred E. Stotzer, 96, of 166 Benson Mines Road, Star Lake, passed away on Wednesday, June 30th surrounded by his family at the home of his niece and nephew while under the care of Lewis County Hospice. Arrangements have been entrusted to Cleveland Funeral Home Inc., Watertown.
Born May 10, 1925 in Buffalo, NY, Fred joined the Army in 1943 and was assigned to the 3230th Engineer Battalion in support of the front-line Allied Forces. His Battalion landed on Normandy and started building bridges and roads where needed to assist the advance of our troops to force the German Army back through Northern France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. After his discharge in 1945 he served in the Coast Guard. He then graduated from the New York State Ranger School in Wanakena, N.Y. and worked as an electrician until his retirement from J&L Steel in Benson Mines.
Mr. Stotzer married Theresa LaTray of Star Lake, daughter of John D. and Louise (Martin) LaTray at Saint Huberts Catholic Church on September 2nd, 1950. He built his homestead where he resided with his wife of over 70 years along with their grandchildren. A lifelong learner who had an inquisitive mind, Fred built his own radios and was a licensed amateur radio operator.
Mr. Stotzer is survived by his wife Theresa, three grandsons; Marc (Courtney) Beck of Evans Mills, Andrew (Brittany) Beck of Gouverneur and Jaden Green of Tupper Lake.  Five great grandchildren; Landon, Lidia, Drew, Kayla, and Mattie Beck along with many nieces, nephews and friends.  He is predeceased by his parents Fredrick and Helene (Tretter) Stotzer, his sister Ruth Pugh, a daughter Jill Stotzer Beck-Green, and his beloved grandson Matthew Beck in 2009.
Donations in Mr. Stotzer's memory can be made to Lewis County Hospice, 7785 North State Street, Lowville, NY, 13367.
Pop, we treasure the time you spent with us. You raised us as your own. You are the most selfless person we know. We are proud to call you Grandfather and many have thought of you as a father. Until the day you passed many looked up to you and still do. You will live on in our memories and we will think about you every day. You gave us the love we needed and now we are passing it on to our children so future generations will also feel the legacy of your love. You showed us how to love and taught us to strive to be better persons. You are our hero, our grandfather, our friend.
Mr. Stotzer's military funeral will be held at the convenience of the family at a later date.
Online condolences may be made at ClevelandFHInc.com. 

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