FRED TEASDALE, SR.
Fred Teasdale, Sr., age 89, a Colorado Springs resident since 1967 passed away on September 14, 2012 at the Laurel Manor Care Center in Colorado Springs. He was a retired Army NCO and operating room surgical specialist.
Mr. Teasdale was born on January 25, 1923 in Walden, New York to Mr. and Mrs. George William Teasdale (Louise Anderson). As a young man, he worked hard on his parent’s farm in New York, and excelled in baseball, boxing, and swimming. Mr. Teasdale served in the U.S. Army for almost 25 years serving combat tours in both WWII and Vietnam and was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star. During WWII, he served with the famous 100th Infantry Division (the Sons of Bitche), 399th Infantry Regiment, Company D, 3rd Platoon as a combat medic, helping save and treat numerous soldiers on various battlefields in France and Germany. One of his citations, in part, reads:
“In Eastern France, Corporal Teasdale, a company aid man, displayed singular courage, skill, and initiative in his care and treatment of battle casualties. On two separate occasions he persisted in his tasks under intense enemy fire until wounded himself. By his singular loyalty and devotion to duty, Corporal Teasdale gained the respect and admiration of those who served with him and was directly responsible for the saving of many lives.”
In Vietnam, he served as an operating room specialist at the 95th Evacuation Hospital in Da Nang, again caring for and treating wounded soldiers. Throughout his Army career, he served at numerous Army hospitals including those at Camp Cook, California; three separate tours in West Germany (at Nurnberg, Heidelberg, and Baumholder); Fort Irvin, California; Presidio of San Francisco, California; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Ft. Eustis, Virginia; and Ft. Carson, Colorado. Rightfully so, Fred was very proud of his Army career and service to our nation and was a highly respected, professional soldier. After his retirement from the Army in June 1970, he continued serving soldiers and veterans while working at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center in Denver, Colorado until his full retirement. Fred definitely earned his place among the soldiers of the “Greatest Generation”.
On July 22, 1950, Fred married Mary Louise Leach in beautiful Santa Barbara, California. They remained happily married for almost 54 years until Mary’s death on March 14, 2004. Fred often said “this was the heaviest blow he ever suffered during his lifetime”. During their more than five decades of marriage, they loved to travel, listen and dance to the “Big Band” music from the 40’s and 50’s, watch movies from the 30’s and 40’s, take walks together, “spoil” their many dogs, eat Mary’s wonderful cooking, play bingo (and an occasional slot machine in Las Vegas or Cripple Creek), watch their boys play sports, family reunions, welcome grandkids and great grandkids into the world, and make frequent visits to swimming pools and local parks. They enjoyed a wonderful relationship and marriage for a very long time; surely Fred is smiling today as he is with his Mary again.
Fred is survived by his four sons (all service veterans): Ken (Nancy) Teasdale of Leavenworth, Kansas; Fred (Kathy) Teasdale, Jr. of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Mark (Sandy) Teasdale of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Neale Teasdale of Aloha, Oregon. Also surviving are eight grandchildren and five great grandchildren. He is also survived by two daughters from a previous marriage (Brenda Ann and Fredrica).
Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, September 21, 2012 at the Shrine of Remembrance “America the Beautiful” Chapel of Roses. Visitation will be held on 9:00 a.m. on September 21, 2012 at the Shrine of Remembrance Funeral Home. Graveside Burial will be held at 9:30 a.m. on September 24, 2012, Fort Logan National Cemetery, South Sheridan Boulevard in Denver staging area “B.”
Memorials may be made to the Fisher House Foundation, Inc., 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, Maryland 20850-5168 or at http://www.fisherhouse.org/donate. The Fisher House has an A+ rating from Charity Watch and provides tremendous support to wounded soldiers and their families.
Fred will be greatly missed by his family and friends, and may he and his beloved Mary rest in peace. The family would also like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to all the staff and volunteers at the Laurel Manor Care Center in Colorado Springs. Their assistance, care, compassion, professionalism, and genuine concern for both Mary and Fred during their final days were comforting to them and our entire family.