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Frederick Lincoln Dearman Sr., Williamstown's much-loved pharmacist and storyteller, died on Saturday, August 19, 2017. He was born on April 7, 1928, in Charleston, W.Va., to Orus W. Dearman Sr., also a pharmacist, and Ruby Guinn Dearman, remembered for singing duets at the Sixth Street United Methodist Church.
He attended Charleston's Stonewall Jackson High School, served in the United States Navy 1946-1948, and was a 1952 graduate of West Virginia University School of Pharmacy. He was owner and operator of Williamstown Pharmacy from 1969-1981.
Fred loved the movies and fondly recalled how as a boy he would spend the day blissfully watching the newsreel, the cartoons, the serial and a double feature, all for a quarter.
He entered the world of work early in life as a newspaper boy at age 12 and was called in to distribute the Extra Edition of the Charleston Daily Mail when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He worked as a postal clerk in high school with an idea of continuing his career there, but his mind was changed when he enlisted in the Navy and served as a Pharmacist's Mate. There began his lifelong dedication to helping family, friends and his community whenever they needed medical advice, day or night.
He wed Shirley Jean Jones in 1953, a marriage that would last over 64 years and produce four children. He was a fun father. He liked Road Runner cartoons for the Latin jokes. Insisted that spaghetti grew on trees. Taught Chopsticks and Heart and Soul on the piano. Family dinners with him were lively. If you asked him to pass the bread, chances were you'd have to catch it. He shared a birthday with actor James Garner and in the winter he liked to pretend he was Jim Rockford, doing donuts in his car in icy parking lots.
Fred was ever a reliable source of witty anecdotes and timeless jokes. People who went to Williamstown Pharmacy knew that their prescriptions would be dispensed with a bit of humor on the side. "Free Parking and Free Jokes. Everything else is reasonable." was one of Fred's slogans. He made work enjoyable and interesting, so much so that he inspired more than a few young people, including his daughter Marjorie, to choose pharmacy as their own career.
A loyal West Virginia University Mountaineer fan, he celebrated mightily when they won, and when the score said otherwise, he could rationalize how they actually won instead. He enjoyed hitting the course with his golf buddies Ed Garber and brother Odie Dearman.
Frederick was preceded in death by his parents and by sisters, Virginia Dearman Thomas, Dorothy Dearman McIntosh; brother, Orus W. Dearman Jr.; and son, Frederick L. Dearman Jr. He is survived by his wife, Shirley Jones Dearman; sister, Louise Dearman Pullen; his daughters, Marjorie Dearman Tompkins, Carol Dearman Streatfeild and Diane Dearman Dalton; six grandchildren; and one great grandchild.
Memorial Service will be held at First United Methodist Church, Williamstown, W.Va., on Saturday, September 2, 2017, at 1:30 p.m. The family will receive visitors from 12:30 p.m. in the parlor at the church. Arrangements by Leavitt Funeral Services, Parkersburg, W.Va.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Colon Cancer Alliance (www.ccalliance.org).