Captain Fred R. Demech Jr., U.S. Navy (Retired), a resident of Moosic, PA, passed away peacefully after a valiantly fought battle with cancer on Friday, March 11, 2011.
Captain Demech was born June 1, 1940, in Taylor, PA, a son of the late Fred and Minnie Uritz Demech. He graduated from Pittston High School, Wilkes College, the Naval War College, and the National War College.
Commissioned as Ensign in 1962, Captain Demech served in the Navy for over 27 years, retiring in 1989. He was a career cryptologist and a qualified Surface Warfare Officer. As a Navy Captain and Presidential Appointee, Captain Demech twice served as the Executive Director for the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board in the White House. For this service, Captain Demech was awarded the nation’s highest peacetime military decoration, The Defense Distinguished Service Medal.
For two years, Captain Demech was Commanding Officer of the Navy’s largest cryptologic base, a 1,000 person overseas facility. This command won the coveted Travis Trophy that identified it as the top communications site in the Department of Defense during 1984. For this service, Captain Demech was awarded the Legion of Merit.
Other Navy assignments included Executive Assistant to three senior flag officers, Research and Technical Officer onboard two ships, and both Operations and Executive Officer at several shore stations. For 19 years, Captain Demech was employed by the TRW and Northrop Grumman Corporations. For seven years he served as Director for two different Business Units. Prior to his retirement in 2008, he managed the company’s Special Work and Travel Program that provided for the security, safety and health for personnel all over the world.
As an active member of the many communities where he resided, Captain Demech led a city Cable TV Commission and Recreation Task Force, served on the Board of Directors of a county Volunteer Association, and the Wilkes University Alumni Association where he also was the First Vice President, served as a church elder, was Vice President of a Homeowners Association, and was the Public Affairs Chairman for the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation. He was a member of American Legion Post 1188 in Minooka, Pa.
Captain Demech is survived by his wife of 47 years, Janet of Moosic; a daughter Lesley D’Andrea and husband, Robert, of Doylestown, Pa.; two grandsons, Kevin and Brian D’Andrea; and a sister, Carolyn Salvaggio of Forty Fort.
Captain Demech maintained that his most satisfying experience in the Navy and the business world was dealing with people. He was a positive influence to countless individuals and his shipmates and friends were very dear to him. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend. A memorial service was later followed by burial with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
From the Times-Leader (Northern PA)