April 29, 1938-May 4, 2018
Arthur Frederick Niemann Jr., 80, passed away on May 4 in Glendale. Arthur, known as Fred, was born in Washington, Indiana on April 29, 1938, to father Arthur F. Niemann and mother Anna (Ann) P. Smith Niemann. Fred was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife Rosalie of La Cañada Flintridge and son Douglas and wife Tawny of Eastvale and son Daniel and wife Sarah of Glendale. Fred is also survived by his sisters and spouses, Julie and Don Babrick of La Quinta, Nancy and William (Bill) Current of Eagle, Colorado, and his sister-in-law, Celia McGee of Henderson, Nevada. Fred enjoyed his seven grandchildren: Abigail, Joshua, Savannah, Logan, Evan, Madison and Charlotte. He also leaves his nieces and nephews and families.
Fred attended Lincoln High School in Vincennes, Indiana, and was an avid Hoosier basketball fan of the Vincennes Alices. A member of the class of 1956, he enjoyed attending the homecoming reunions complete with hometown parades. After attending Vincennes University, Fred graduated from Purdue University in engineering. He chose his first job in Hawthorne, California, and worked in the aerospace industry. He attended USC at night and earned a master’s degree in aerospace engineering.
In the early ’70s, Fred joined a friendly group at First United Methodist Church, Pasadena, known as the Single Young Adults. There he met his wife of 41 years, Rosalie Harris Niemann. About this time, Fred got a job in Pasadena working for the Parsons Co. in management information systems. After their marriage, Fred and Rosalie moved to La Cañada Flintridge. This is where they brought home from Verdugo Hills Hospital two sons, first Douglas and later, Daniel.
Fred worked at Parsons for 20 years. As he was being downsized, he took the opportunity to study marriage and family therapy at the California Family Study Center, now named Phillips Graduate University. He earned his MFT degree and license but did not practice. Fred was an active fan of his sons’ sports activities and an active member of his church.
A memorial service celebrating Fred’s life will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, May 20, at the First United Methodist Church of Pasadena. Private burial on May 21 will be at Mountain View Cemetery, Altadena. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Fred may be made to First UMC’s Social Service Ministry, to a charity promoting mental health or to a charity of one’s choice.
