Fred Melcher

Fred Melcher passed away on Friday, June 14, 2019, in the company of his loving family. A life-long resident of Southern California, Fred influenced thousands of young minds as a passionate educator spanning four decades at four schools: Granada High School, Chaminade Middle School, Heschel Day School, and Sierra Canyon School. He strove to not just teach his students, but to inspire them to believe in their unique talents and ability to make the world a more just and kind place. His passion extended beyond the classroom and into his life-story play-by-play poetry, his fanaticism for the Yankees, his love for a body-or-heart-moving rock/blues/folk/Broadway song (preferably played LOUD), his magnificent VHS-turned-DVD-turned-Blue Ray movie collection (and the meticulous catalog to go with it), his comprehensive count-by-count collection of baseball books (plus civil rights, history, poetry, humor, and, of course, The Princess Bride), his uncanny padiddle predictions, his infuriating and impressive stories to answer every question (though you often had to question the validity of said stories), his sometimes-you-catch-it-sometimes-you-don't puns, and above everything else, his devotion, pride, and unending love for his family; daughter Diana, son David, daughter-in-law Kirsten, grandchildren Preslee, Michael, and yet-to-be named, and, beyond all compare, his wife Lyn, whose hand and heart he held at every opportunity for 42 years.