CHAMBERS, JR., Frederic James

The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona Saturday, July 26, 2003 Frederic James Chambers, Jr., 76, passed on to a better place, where he is free of pain and physical limitations, on July 23, 2003, surrounded by his family members. Fred was an avid outdoorsman and nature enthusiast. As a young man, he worked as a Smokejumper, where he parachuted out of airplanes to fight forest fires. During the last 45 years of his life, Fred lived in Scottsdale, AZ with his wife of 51 years, Joan M. (Varner). He worked as an engineer at Allied Signal until his retirement in 1990. He enjoyed an active life of fly tying, fly fishing throughout the United States and Canada, camping, hiking and exploring the back roads of Arizona. He found pleasure in bird watching and attracted a large variety of birds to his yard with bird feeders and flowers. Fred enjoyed reading and learning about the history of Scottsdale, and kept abreast of the current politics and the future plans of Scottsdale. Fred was proud to be a member and supporter of The Nature Conservancy, Desert Botanical Gardens, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Federation of Fly Fishers, National Smokejumpers Association and the National Park Service. Fred is survived by his wife, Joan; daughter, Stephanie; son Scott and sister Mrs. Almon (Margaret L.) White. He will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, July 27th at Messingers Mortuary, 7601 E. Indian School Rd. in Scottsdale. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his name to The Nature Conservancy.