Frederick Marion Bartels

November 24, 1934 - July 1, 2011 76, born on 24 November 1934 to Ivan D. and Margaret Morehouse Bartels in Waterloo, Iowa, died at age 77 at 8:15 a.m. on 1 July 2011, the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. A funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. on 16 July 2011 at Sacred Heart Catholic Parish in Roggen, CO. Frederick's death was the result of a long and sanctifying struggle with Glioblastoma (GBM), a particularly severe type of brain cancer. His predeceased siblings are Mary Louise Barnes and Robert D. Bartels. He is survived by his brother James I. Bartels. Frederick married Irene M. Brauch on 15 November 1958, whose lives were thus joined together in the sacrament of matrimony, and flourished according to the vocation of marriage, which is understood to be the foundation of society and the ecclesia domestica. Christ our Lord blessed Fred and Irene with three children and fifteen grandchildren. Frederick is remembered by those who knew him well as a devout and dedicated Catholic husband and father, whose life consisted in steady progress in the call to holiness, caring and providing abundantly for his family, and ministering to those in need through the honorable profession of labor. Frederick founded Bartels Heating and Air Conditioning in 1963, and later cooperated in partnering B and F Heating and Air Conditioning in Arvada, CO in 1983. It would be no exaggeration to say that there are thousands who remember Fred as the “furnace-man” who arrived on their doorstep day or night, toolbox in hand, in order to help restore their homes to comfort and safety, since Fred was truly one of the pioneers in the HVAC industry in Arvada when it was but a small town with several gravel streets. In 1976, Fred took up farming and ranching in Simla, CO, where he and his wife Irene fell in love with the quiet solitude of God's rolling hills and windswept fields. It is no secret that Fred enjoyed being outdoors-whether he was driving a truck for Huwa Farms during harvest, chasing cows back through a damaged fence on his own farm and ranch, or shoveling-out after a horrendous blizzard, Fred simply felt at home under the sun. Also, he enjoyed spending time during the winter months in Apache Junction, AZ, and there served faithfully and diligently as sacristan at his local parish, St. George Catholic Church. For about eight years, Fred often assisted at the Liturgy of the Mass several times a day on Sundays. In addition, parishioners there will remember his dedication to church maintenance tasks, for which his abilities were particularly cherished. In consideration of the progression of Fred's life, it is apparent that what became most important to him is, as a result of the divine impulses of the Holy Spirit and his response to that loving grace, service to our Lord Jesus Christ, which is evident in his attitude of willingness to help those in need; such as, for example, when he spent several days on mission at San Carlos Apache Reservation restoring plumbing fixtures and performing other maintenance tasks with his beloved friend, Ray Simmons. Fred's family and friends will always remember him in that way: as a truly Catholic husband, father and companion whose life was directed toward his Ultimate End: God. Memorials may be made and donations sent to Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, P.O. Box 790, Limon, CO 80828.