Frederick Homer Van Valkenburg passed away peacefully at St. Francis Hospital July 8, 2019, at the age of 83. Born Feb. 27, 1936, in Mineola, New York, he was the son of the late Homer and Winifred (Stuart) Van Valkenburg and grew up in Cooperstown, New York, graduating from Cooperstown High School. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1957 and went home to Cooperstown where he met his wife-to-be, Judy. After marriage they moved to Connecticut where Fred attended Hartford Airline School. He was employed as an agent for TWA for 11 years. Fred retired from Brown Trucking. Fred is survived by his wife of 57 years, Judith Michalak Van Valkenburg; and daughter Karen Curti and her husband, Mark; son James and his wife, Lynne; and daughter-in-law Marianne Van Valkenburg, wife of his eldest son William who predeceased him. He leaves four grandchildren, Cameron and Tate Van Valkenburg of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, and Vanessa and Madelyn Curti of Suffield; as well as several cousins in England. Fred was happiest when outdoors enjoying nature. He loved canoeing on Lake Otsego, camping and hiking, mountain climbing in the Adirondacks, and Maine vacations; and considered the outdoors his church. His love of music was evident when he played the harmonica and he was known to be a good whistler. Fred loved to putter around the house and tackled many fix-it projects. He came up with many solutions with his inventiveness. Those who loved Fred knew him as a kind and gentle man. "Keep It Simple" was his motto. His family will receive friends Saturday, July 13, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Windsor Locks Funeral Home, 441 Spring St., Windsor Locks with a celebration of life service at noon. Burial will be private at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to either the Gardner High School Scholarship Fund for the Bill Van Valkenburg Memorial Scholarship, 200 Catherine St., Gardner, MA 01440, or the Connecticut Humane Society, 701 Russell Road, Newington, CT 06111 or online www.give.cthumane.org For online condolences, please visit www.windsorlocksfuneralhome.com