Bruce W. Fretz, 68 of Palmer Township, PA died Sunday, January 7, 2018 at home. Born March 3, 1949 in Bethlehem, PA he was a son of the late Elmer E. and Margaret R. (Snyder) Fretz. He was a 1967 graduate of Easton High School, a graduate of Northampton Community College and served in the Army during the Vietnam War. He retired after 41 years with the Palmer Township Police Department serving as the Chief of Police from 1994 until 2012. Chief Fretz was a member of St. Paul’s III Lutheran Church in Palmer Twp., the Palmer Township Police Association, the Police Chief’s Association, the VFW and the American Legion.
He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Karen (Howell) Fretz; 2 sons: Jason Fretz and his wife Beth of Lititz, PA, Justin Fretz and his wife Sharon of Williams Twp., PA; a brother: Timothy Fretz and his wife Cynthia of New Tripoli, PA; 5 grandchildren: Andrew, Matthew, Jake, Piper, Julia; and sister -in-law: Adrienne Grier and her husband Lester of Forks Twp., PA.
Services will be held at Noon on Saturday (Jan. 13) in St. Paul’s III Lutheran Church, 2561 Newburg Road, Easton with viewing hours from 9 AM to noon in the church. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling arrangements. Interment will be private.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul’s III Lutheran Church, 2561 Newburg Road, Easton, PA 18045. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.
Gloria Hagenbuch
January 8, 2018 at 5:47 pm
Thinking of you Karen so sorry for your loss sending prayers to you and your family. God Bless
Sue Siegfried
January 8, 2018 at 5:58 pm
To Karen, Jason, Justin , Tim and their families ….
My heartfelt condolences to all of you . I have so much to say about such a GREAT man …but I’ll keep it short .., loved his family dearly…was a great husband …, Dad .., grandfather … was a a great Chief to work for … always always had my back .. I will truly miss him .. may he Rest In Peace … god bless all of you ..
Sue Siegfried
Nazareth, Pa
Ed Dean
January 8, 2018 at 6:19 pm
Bruce was dedicated to his church and Palmer Township and a personal friend. He will be missed by us all.
Gina Hockman
January 8, 2018 at 8:43 pm
Karen and family, I’m so sorry for the loss. Bruce was a wonderful, kind person. Prayers to you all. Gina
Seth Tanner
January 8, 2018 at 9:09 pm
Justin,Jason, Tim and Fretz family,
So sorry to hear of Bruce’s passing. Sending my thoughts and prayers to you and your family. He was a great guy and so glad I got to know him at deer camp. His big smile and great sense of humor will be missed at camp.
Seth
Pam Stocker
January 8, 2018 at 9:12 pm
My thoughts and prayers are with the Fretz family.
Suzie Kowitz
January 8, 2018 at 10:53 pm
To Karen, Justin, Jason and the rest of your family,
My heartfelt and deepest condolences to all of you. May your memories help to be a comfort during these trying days ahead. RIP to one of the finest Chefs I knew.
Melody Henley
January 8, 2018 at 11:27 pm
My condolences to Karen and the family. He was a great man and will be missed by all at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.
PSP Retired
January 9, 2018 at 7:51 am
RIP Brother!
Jim and Mary Bowers
January 9, 2018 at 8:53 am
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family as we mourn the loss of this wonderful man.
David Arnold
January 9, 2018 at 10:46 am
I’ve missed this great guy at Quinlintown. There’s now a hole at camp that cannot be filled.
Karen Miller
January 9, 2018 at 12:50 pm
Karen and family. So sorry to read about Bruce. He was a great guy and will be missed by many. It is very hard to be married to someone for that long and suddenly they are not there. I am still trying to get used to it. God bless to all of you.
Rusty Matthews
January 9, 2018 at 4:44 pm
Bruce Fretz to me has been and will always be Boo-boo. Bruce and I grew up together since Tim (Bruce’s brother) and I always hung out. We always knew Bruce as Boo-boo. Bruce and I began servicing on the Palmer Township Police Department almost at the same time. In fact, I was always called into the Chief’s office for calling Bruce on the radio as Boo-boo. I always told the Chief that I can call him Boo-boo since we go way back in time and he is my friend.
With that said, the world will certainly miss a man of compassion, courage, honor, and honesty who touched many hearts and souls and will continue to do even though he has moved on to a much better place. Bruce left enormous foot prints in the sand and touched so many people in so many ways. I along with numerous friends of Bruce’s and his family will miss him however we will all come together in the future.
Rusty
Loretta Taylor
January 9, 2018 at 7:13 pm
Dear Karen
. Even though Christopher & I haven’t been at St.Paul’s in a while we could never forget Bruce.We are sorry for your loss and our prayers are with you.
Derek Koch
January 10, 2018 at 11:34 am
On behalf of the Patrol Unit at PSP Lancaster, I would like to offer my condolences to Jason Fretz and the rest of the Fretz family on the loss of Mr. Fretz. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
Derek
Gary G. Love
January 10, 2018 at 5:41 pm
I am completely devastated of hearing about Bruce passing away this past week. I just loss my only Best Friend as we knew each other since being neighbors when we were kids. Bruce live just down the street since I was older than him by one day. I was born March 2, 1949 and Bruce was on March 3. We were friends since childhood.. Karen, Justine, Jason , your father was completely devoted to the community, his job as Chief of Police, and public servant to all people he has touched. Most of all his Love to his family can never be replace.. Bruce will always be Boo Boo to me, as that we called him since childhood. Karen and family., Losing one’s husband can cause a loneliness unlike any other, but having your children near will help ease the difficulty of the days ahead. With your fortitude and courage I am sure you will adjust to your new situation. I know you are grateful for the many happy years you shared with Bruce. May I send you my deepest sympathy at this time and say that my thoughts have been with you since I heard of the passing of your loving husband, Bruce. I admired him greatly. You must be even prouder of his devotion to you. I know you will be brave in your sorrow as he would have wanted you to be. Please feel free to call me if you need help. We love you Karen, be strong, as you have so many memories of the times you both shared together. God Bless You.
Elisha Bomberger
January 10, 2018 at 9:24 pm
Jason (and family)
I’m very sorry to hear of your loss. What a wonderful legacy Bruce left behind! I pray for God’s supernatural peace and comfort during this time of loss.
Elisha
Joe Guza
January 11, 2018 at 7:20 am
Sorry for your loss Brother. Thoughts and prayers are with you and yours.
Chrtopher Jones
January 11, 2018 at 2:19 pm
My condolences to you and your family. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
Chris
Frank & Joan Schaffer
January 11, 2018 at 6:51 pm
We are so sorry for your loss Karen. You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers.
BJ (Hockman) Cantu
January 12, 2018 at 5:14 pm
Karen and family. Deepest heartfelt condolences for your loss. Seeing Bruce’s picture was like taking a trip in the way back machine. It’s been at least 40 (?!) years but I still remember his early days on the force, some fun stories and great conversations that were indicative of the type of compassionate, honorable man he was and apparently would continue to be throughout his life. May strength of family and friends support you and the best of memories comfort you.
Bill Matthews
January 13, 2018 at 12:36 pm
My sincere sympathy to the Fretz family and friends. I can’t add much to what Russ Matthews, Gary Love have and others have said. I will tell you though he was a very funny guy with the driest sense of humor. I cant tell you how many time we laughed and laughed. So many years have past. Bruce and Tim were part and parcel of our neighborhood, always there, always fun to be around. Boo will always be in my heart