Fred Herzer
July 22, 1926-Feb. 26, 2019
Atherton, California

Frederick Ford Herzer Jr. a long time resident of Atherton passed away peacefully at the age of 92. He was the son of Ann Nicholson Herzer and Frederick Ford Herzer Sr. Fred was born on Long Island, NY, but grew up in the Los Angeles area. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1948 with degrees in Economics and Business. Fred was the founder of Herzer Financial Services, Inc., a private real estate lending company. His son David now runs the business.

Early in his childhood Fred was struck by a train that ran near his neighborhood, costing him his sight. He never let that interfere with a rich and fulfilling life. Each morning he walked to the Atherton train station and rode the train to the Menlo Park station, and walked to his nearby office. The conductors nicknamed him The Hopper. Fred loved to play bridge and became a Life Master. He and his wife Virginia traveled the world to exotic locations such as Kathmandu, Bangladesh and India. Fred was fluent in Spanish so they took many trips to a wide variety of Spanish speaking countries in Central and South America, as well as his beloved Spain.

Those close to him remember his fantastic memory, mathematical mind and his love of family and backyard parties. He was well respected in the community as a business man, investor and family man. More than anything he will be remembered for overcoming the odds, living a full, rich and loving life with a remarkably positive attitude and strong determination.

He is survived by his wife Virginia of 64 years and by daughters Ruth Herzer of Bend Oregon, Cynthia Richardson of Menlo Park, and son David (Sharon) Herzer of Kentfield. Six grandchildren and one great grandchild also survive him.

The family requests donations in his memory be made to the UC Berkeley Disabled Students Program which supported Fred during his time at Cal. Their address is below.

A celebration of life will be held at 1:00 pm, Saturday, April 6. Menlo Church, 950 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park.

University of California, Berkeley Disabled Students Program Jessica Arevalo-Hillen University Development & Alumni Relations 1995 University Avenue Suite 400 Berkeley, CA 94704