Frederick L. Hafer, Former Bedford Resident

Submitted by the Douglass Funeral Home

Lt. Col. Fredrick Hafer - courtesy image (c) all rights reserved
Lt. Col. Fredrick Hafer – courtesy image (c) all rights reserved

Frederick L. Hafer of Lexington, formerly of Bedford, died at age 90 on April 15 2016.  Born in Reading, PA and raised in Pottsville, PA,  he graduated from Pottsville High School and attended three semesters at the Pottsville branch of Pennsylvania State University before entering the U.S. Military academy at West Point.

He graduated from West Point in 1946 as a member of the Army Air Corps, which later became the U.S. Air Force. He married Mary Stewart of Newburgh, N.Y. four days later.  They were married for 69 years and had three children, Tom, John, and Abigail.

Lt. Col. Hafer had a long career in the Air Force; he received a Master’s degree in electrical engineering from M.I.T. in 1950; an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1963; and graduated from the Air War College in 1967. While serving at Cape Canaveral during the early years of the U.S. space program, he developed the telemetry system that eventually helped the U.S. put a man on the moon. From 1968-69 he served in Vietnam, where he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After retiring from the military, he and Mary settled in Bedford where he continued his career as an engineer and became involved in community life, including active involvement in the Hanscom Airport Commission, the Bedford Historical Society, and the DeCordova Museum.

Get The Bedford Citizen in your inbox!



He was the loving grandfather to William Hafer, Virginia Goodwin, Moira Hafer, and Lucy and Andrew MacRobert; and loving great-grandfather to Lily and Kai Goodwin.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Grand Central Station, Post Office box 4777, New York, N.Y, 10163.

A memorial service will take place at a later time, and his ashes will be interred at West Point.

Arrangements by the Douglass Funeral Home, Lexington.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Subscribe
Notify of

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

All Stories

What’s Bedford Thinking about the Red Sox?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Junior Landscaping
Go toTop