Fred Joseph Buerkle

Fred Joseph Buerkle was born December 24, 1953 in Chicago, IL, and passed away on March 22, 2024. He is preceded in death by his parents Fred and Phyllis Buerkle and his brother Kevin Buerkle. At age 14, Fred moved from Chicago to Columbus, OH where he later met and married Charlotte Arena, his wife of 48 years who lovingly cared for him during his long and hard-fought battle against an assortment of ailments, during which he rarely complained. Fred was a graduate of St. Francis DeSales High School (class of 1971), The Ohio State University (B.S. in Business Administration), and the University of Dayton (MBA). He worked for Ashland Chemical (later Nexeo Solutions) for 44 years until his retirement in 2018. Fred was funny, intelligent, boisterous, and hard-working. He was a eucharistic and hospitality minister, volunteer, and longtime parishioner of St. Cecilia Catholic Church. He preferred to tell a self-deprecating story to being boastful. An avid sports fan (OSU, Bengals, Reds, & CBJ), Fred was a basketball referee and coached many of his children’s teams. He was an animal lover who could spot wildlife from a mile away. He enjoyed bike rides, fishing trips to Wisconsin with his dad and brother Brian, visits with (and haircuts from) his sister Jo Ann, attending his children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events and activities, and any excuse to stop by to spend time with family. For 16 years he woke up every morning at 4:30 am to help his children deliver newspapers. Fred always put his family’s needs before his own. Always. He will be deeply missed by his family and many friends. Fred is survived by his wife Charlotte Buerkle, brother Brian (Chris) Buerkle, sister Jo Ann (Jim) Karam, children Jennifer (Joe) Warino, Matthew (Liz) Buerkle, Christopher (Angie) Buerkle, Mark Buerkle, and Laura (Justin) Enix, grandchildren Joey, Gianna, and Luca Warino, Izzy, Ryan, and Tommy Buerkle, Charlotte, Benjamin, and Caroline Buerkle, and Jayce and Finn Enix, nieces Angela Mullen, Julianne Wallace, and Mia, Monica, and Ava Karam, and in-laws Tony and Julie Arena and George and Kathy Wallace. Fred’s family would like to thank Norwich Springs Health Campus of Hilliard for their loving care of Fred. Viewing is Tuesday, March 26 from 4pm-7pm at Jerry Spears Funeral Home of Hilliard, 5471 Frazell Rd., Hilliard, OH 43026, with Mass of Christian Burial Wednesday, March 27 at 10:30am at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, 434 Norton Road, Columbus, OH 43228. Entombment at Saint Joseph Cemetery.

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