William Frederick “Fred” Damkroger was born December 11, 1937, a cold winter day, in his parents farmhouse outside of Wakefield Kansas. The child of Elmer and Cora Damkroger, he went home to his heavenly reward on June 3, 2026.
Fred attended a one room country school through the 8th grade and then went to a town high school in Clay Center, Kansas graduating in 1955. He and nine of his friends then joined the US Navy to see the world, where he was trained as a radar operator.
He worked in the scientific/technical field in Texas and Georgia, and while in Dallas earned his degree in Mathematics from UT Dallas. He then returned to Kansas, serving as the Director of Network and Telecommunication Services for Kansas State University, retiring after twenty years.
A cradle Episcopalian, he was active in every church where he lived. He met his wife Jolana at the Church of the Covenant in Junction City Kansas. In 2020 they moved to Tyler and became active members in Christ Episcopal Church.
Fred was a life long, talented wood crafter and enjoyed antique cars. He was a member of several woodworking clubs as he enjoyed restoring and building custom furniture.
He is survived by his wife Jolana, and children Shawn Damkroger, Michelle Prather, and Travis Damkroger, all of Dallas.
A celebration of Fred’s life will be at 11:00 am on Thursday, June 11 at Christ Episcopal Church (downtown campus).
Memorials in his memory may be made to the Music Fund at Christ Episcopal or Angel Hands Hospice of Tyler.
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