In
a life that took him from the streets of Uniontown, KY to the jungles
of Vietnam to towering construction projects along the Ohio River,
and retirement days spent on the golf courses across the Southeastern
Unites States, Fred Hite was as solid a man as the massive power
plants he helped build, devoted as his love of family and favorite
sports teams, and as strong as his legendary grip.
Frederick
Maurice Hite, 72, of Morganfield, KY died Sunday, April 24, 2016 at
St. Mary's Hospital in Evansville, IN. Born Oct. 6, 1943 in
Uniontown, KY, the fifth child of Parvin and Bernadette Hite, he was
named Frederick by the nuns of nearby St. Agnes Church in honor of
Saint Frederick. A 1961 graduate of St. Vincent Academy, Fred spent
part of his early years working at his father's gas station in
Morganfield and later worked as a carry out/stock boy at the Sureway
in Morganfield before a local judge offered the option of "go to
jail or go into the Army." As a member of the U.S. Army, Fred
would spend part of the next four years along the
Cambodian-Vietnamese border as part of the military's communications
surveillance team.
Soon
after returning from Vietnam, Fred was initiated in September 1967
into the Local Iron Workers 103, based in Evansville, IN. During his
time with the iron workers through the 1970s and 80s, Fred worked on
the construction of the St. Louis Arch and spent nine years as the
assistant to the business manager. With a membership totaling 700 to
800 in a 40-county area over three states, Fred was involved in such
construction projects as the Tennessee Valley Authority power plant
in Paradise, KY, dams along the Ohio River in Uniontown, Newburgh,
IN, and Cannelton, IN, the Alcoa plant in Warrick County, IN and the
Anaconda smelter in Sebree, KY as well as 18 power plants, including
those in Sebree, Rockport, IN and Petersburg, IN. Fred was known as
a master welder and one who "could weld anything but a broken
heart and the crack of dawn."
Fred
also worked as a regional sales manager for CompuChem Laboratories.
He
truly "bled blue" during basketball and football season,
cheering on his beloved Kentucky Wildcats. That love was only
rivaled in the spring by his devotion to the St. Louis Cardinals
baseball club. A history and military buff, he was also a fan of TV
westerns and "true" country musicians like Lefty Frizzell
and Hank Williams.
In
addition to his parents, Fred was also preceded in death by two
brothers, Jerry and Ronald "Rock" Hite.
Survivors
include two sons, Robbie Hite & wife Amy of Jackson, TN, and Ryan
Hite of Dallas, TX; two grandchildren, Tyler and Nathan Hite of
Jackson, TN; a brother Jim Hite & his wife Pat of Bullard, TX; a
sister Beverly Baczewski & her husband Victor of Summerfield, FL;
and his companion of the past 15 years, Linda R. Banks of
Morganfield, KY, and her children Michael Banks, of Belmont, NC, and
Stacie Banks of Henderson, KY.
A
celebration of life service will be held at 10 AM Wed, April 27, 2016
at Whitsell Funeral Home in Morganfield, KY. Rev. Jerry Manning will
officiate. Visitation will be 4-8 PM Tuesday and 9 AM until service
time Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in West KY
Veterans Cemetery in Hopkinsville, KY. Memorials can be made to the
American Heart Association.
