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Deborah Braidic
Henry Frederick passed away peacefully in his sleep on the evening of Friday, July 21, following an acute health episode resulting from COVID-19 combined with his underlying health conditions.
Henry was born at Tachikawa U.S. Air Force base in Japan to his mother, Machiko Fuchikami, and his G.I. father, Banford Harrison Frederick, in May of 1964. At age three, he traveled with his brother and parents to the U.S. and landed at Travis Air Force Base in Vallejo, California. The family lived in the Marin County area in Northern California for a few years before moving to Southern California and ultimately coming to live in Monrovia, California.
During Henry’s early years he enjoyed drawing, playing and reading stacks of books he would borrow from the school library. Throughout his years in school, he was always an above average student. In high school, he was one of the few students on record at Monrovia High to get a perfect score on the legendarily difficult final exam in Frank Jansson’s English Literature course.
After finishing high school with honors, he enrolled as a student at California Polytechnic in Pomona, obtaining a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in history. For Henry, history was more than schoolwork; it was one of his signature passions and he voraciously consumed as much information as he could on the subject. His favorite historical periods were ancient Rome and European history.
He was a frequent visitor of museums of science, art and history. Always hungry for more information, he was known to write to museums after his departure to query them further about details related to their collections. Henry also was a lover of science fiction books and movies.
Friends, coworkers and anyone who was fortunate to meet him were often struck by Henry’s wry sense of humor and positive energy. And when he needed space from the demands of the world, he would visit locations such as Ballona Nature Preserve near Seal Beach, walking in nature and enjoying the beautiful marshlands and the seaside air.
Henry was a dutiful son, living near his parents until their passing. He had a soft spot for anyone who needed a caretaker and was always willing to support a friend in need. When his parents fell into poor health, he was their primary caretaker, getting them to all of their appointments, ensuring that their lives were appropriately honored and grieving them each deeply.
Henry was proud of two employers for whom he had the privilege to work over the course of his lifetime—California Institute of Technology and Morgan Lewis—serving as a librarian for both.
Henry is survived by his older brother, Benson Frederick, and the loving friends and colleagues who knew and supported him during his life.
