Frederick Strobel

Strobel, Frederick (FRED) R. 8/21/1937 - 12/22/2016 Fred Strobel, formerly of Kalamazoo, born and raised in Quincy, Massachusetts died December 22, 2016, age 79, in Minneapolis, MN. He will be sorely missed, but he leaves his family with his sense of optimism, humor and grace. Fred was born on August 21, 1937 of Francis Joseph Strobel of Boston, and Emily Anne (Picard) Strobel of Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada. Fred is survived by daughters Heidi (of Evansville, Indiana, husband Paul Bone, children Wyatt and Genevieve) and Gretchen Strobel (Minneapolis, MN). Gretchen worked very hard to maintain his quality of life and independence in his last two years at an Assisted Living Center. Fred was graced by great friends and loving caregivers in Minnesota. He will be missed by life-long friends and colleagues at "K", the greater Kalamazoo community, friends at Lake Park and also in Sarasota, Florida. Fred was preceded in death by his parents, and brother Gib Strobel of South Weymouth, MA. He is survived by his sister, Anne Marie (Strobel) Ciarfella of Quincy, MA and several nieces and nephews in the Boston area. Fred is survived by former wife, Marilyn (Cooke) Strobel of Battle Creek, MI. Fred grew up in Quincy, Massachusetts. He graduated from North Quincy High School in 1955 and graduated from Northeastern University (Quincy, MA) with B.S. in Accounting in 1960 and an MBA in 1962. He served in the U.S. Army Finance Corps, leaving in 1964 as a 1st Lieutenant after two years of service. He earned an MA in Economics in 1967 en route to a Ph.D. in Economics from Clark University (Worcester, MA) in 1969. Fred taught at Clark University and Holy Cross College between 1967-70, moving to Atlanta in 1970 to work at the Federal Reserve Bank. From 1974-1994, Fred taught economics at Kalamazoo College, holding the Stephen B. Monroe Chair of Money and Banking. Fred chaired the "Monroe Seminar" at "K" for 20 years, which included a guest speaker and Fred's economic outlook. This annual event was a forum for discussing the economic and business trends. This seminar brought together business people from Kalamazoo as well as the broader academic community. Fred moved to Sarasota, Florida in 1994 to teach at New College-University of South Florida, where he held the William G. and Marie Selby Chair of Economics until 2008. Throughout his life, he remained concerned with economic justice. He predicted much of the economic struggles of the working class in this country in his two books Upward Dreams, Downward Mobility: The EconomicDecline of the American Middle Class(1993) andThe Coming Class War and How to Avoid It (1999). Friends are invited to celebrate Fred at Stetson Chapel, February 25th, at 3pm on the campus of Kalamazoo College, with reception to follow. Private burial occurred in Quincy, Massachusetts. Remembrances to the donor's choice or to Kalamazoo College, www.kzoo.edu/onlinegiving