Freidrich Enoch Neugebauer, age 99, son of Karl Klukluck (K.K.) and Otilla (Nitchke) Neugebauer, was born May 14, 1913, in Indiahoma, Okla. He passed away Nov. 24, 2012, in Houston, Mo.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his first born son, Freddie Lee Neugebauer; his wife, Lena Dosha (Lesley) Neugebauer on May 29, 2009; his brothers, Karl, Dan, George and Alex; and his sisters, Emma and Otilla.
Fred is survived by his son, Irley Neugebauer of Houston, Mo.; a daughter, Lena Beatrice Neugebauer-Flores and husband, George, of Nixa, Mo.; a son, Carl Neugebauer and wife, Dianne, of Annacoco, La.; and many grand and great-grandchildren (about 45).
Fred started life as a first generation American. Ellis Island Immigration records show Fred’s father Karl (K.K.) was born April 10, 1887, in Odessa, Ukraine (formerly Germany). Fred’s father was 19 years old when he immigrated to the U.S. through Ellis Island in 1906 and was drafted into WWI on June 5, 1917, in Archer, Texas.
As a child, throughout the depression era, Fred worked the fields and orchards from Texas to Canada and dropped out of school during his elementary years. In 1920, Fred along with his siblings and mother, Tilly, followed his father to Indiahoma, Comanche County, Okla., where they lived for 10 years and they were known and the Odessa Neugebauers.
Fred’s father, Karl, was fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution and the ensuing war with Germany. Karl must have received a very accomplished education, because as a young man he was employed as a Quality Control Engineer by the U.S. Government, working in the Kaiser Shipyard in San Francisco, Calif. Fred’s father supervised the construction of the Victory series of Battleships used in WWII. K.K. performed his service so well that he received an ornate citation of accommodation from the U.S. Department of Defense, and ultimately the battleship U.S.S/K.K. Neugebauer used in the war against Germany was named after Fred’s father. This would explain why Fred was obviously so very clever, even though he lacked an education that left him illiterate.
In 1933, 20-year-old Fred met and married 17 year old Lena Dosha Lesley. Fred graduated from a subsistence migrant worker, to crop farmer and livestock owner, to a business entrepreneur. He owned businesses from Restaurants to Retail businesses and a Carpet Shoppe he owned and operated on Main Street, Houston, Mo.
Being that Fred was always the lucky one, the first year that Missouri offered State Lottery tickets, Fred was one of the first $100,000 winners. After retiring, he and the “Ole Lady” loaded up their luxury R.V. and traveled from coast to coast, visiting relatives and meeting up with their campground buddies. Much of their travel included metal detecting (with a lot of luck and success), as well as acquiring and trading collectables at swap meets and flea markets. They would return to Texas County every-so-often to unload their stuffed R.V., constantly stocking his permanent Garage Sale, where everybody got to know, and never forgot, the always joking but shrewd negotiator Fred.
Fred was considered quite the jokester, always very creative and fun loving. He loved playing cards, marbles and dominoes with his friends and family. He enjoyed collecting rare bottles and designing and constructing yard ornaments and other crafts he would produce and sell. He enjoyed a life-long of great health, nobody can even remember a day when he was sick, and never took a dose of medicine. He was also a talented athlete. He road motorcycles and well into his sixties, rode a unicycle. Every year all the relatives would gather for the holidays at his Raymondville farm and he would make his famous homemade banana ice-cream that we would eat while watching his spider monkey ride the back of his old dog, Sarge. We also ate German niflets/buckshot, grannies homemade bread and butter and drank sweet tea from tin cans. Then Fred would gather all the grandchildren and there would be a foot race to the mailbox and back (about 2 football fields long), a race by the way, he never lost.
He especially loved to travel, taking his grandchildren around, fishing, hunting and some summers traveling all summer long to the Rockies, Mount Rushmore, Abraham Lincolns homestead, Custer’s last stand, from Yosemite National Park, to the beaches of California, Texas and many more important historical points of interest. His passion for travel and discovery was amazing.
Finally, Fred was a servant of God and raised his family accordingly.He supported the churches he attended, and was a spiritual brother to many from Souls Harbor to Houston Assembly of God. Fred will be greatly missed, but he is once again with the “Ole Lady” as he called the love of his life…Lena Dosha.
It is a comfort to all his lived ones left behind to know they are now eternally together, rejoicing in the presence of those who proceeded them and enjoying the rewards of Heaven, just as they did for over 77 years here on Earth.
Services were 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, at Souls Harbor Family Worship with Pastor Cordie Wimberley officiating.Pallbearers were; Rodney Neugebauer, Chris Neugebauer, Cody Neugebauer, Freddie Flores, Raul Flores, Rocky Neugebauer, Michael Neugebauer and Scott Neugebauer.Burial was in Boone Creek Cemetery under the direction of Evans Funeral Home.
The family respectfully requests that donations be made to Three Rivers Hospice, in his honor, in lieu of floral arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to www.evansfh.com.
