The Rev. C. Frederick Eichner, 83, passed away February 6, 2025 with his wife Gail E. (Bennett) by his side at the ECU Roanoke-Chowan Hospital in Ahoskie, NC following complications of a long illness with recent extended family visits by his daughter Karen E. Curington (Edward) and former wife Dorothy (Eckert) Lewis of Nashville, TN and his son Jon C. Eichner (Kerrin) of Huntington Station, Long Island, NY and step-daughter Stacia Davis (Jeffrey Ludwig) of Morgantown, WV. He was born to Carl J. Eichner and Catherine Leona (Brandt) in Cumberland, MD December 17, 1941.

Fred graduated from Allegany High School in Cumberland in 1959, Gettysburg College in 1964, and the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in 1966. He was ordained as a Minister in 1966 at his home church, St. John's Church in Cumberland, Maryland.

Fred once wrote that his experience was primarily in suburban and small town settings but what he neglected to add were those suburban churches were in quickly growing areas: The first two served were Christ Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia 1966-1972 and the second was Our Shepherd Lutheran Church in Severna Park, Maryland 1972-2002. Both churches had significant building programs and Fred read the blueprints and walked every inch of progress daily. For example: At Christ Lutheran he not only monitored progress but handcrafted the cross which still hangs over the altar today and he was photographed by the local newspaper watching the steeple take its journey to its final resting spot atop the completed church. Equally attentive at Our Shepherd he found a hallway leading some 100' from what was to be the former narthex to the new narthex built of 100% block when it should have been a row of windows looking out onto the parking lot at Huebner Way and Eichner's pond. Additionally Fred's artistic inspiration led him to design the stained glass windows in the sanctuary of Our Shepherd completed in 1983.

Also in November 1983 at the end of Our Shepherd's month long 25th Silver Anniversary celebrations, Fred and Gail were the first couple to be married in the newly finished sanctuary.

In Fredericksburg in addition to the building program he met with the challenges of being a new father and new parish minister as he collaborated with activist and artist Johnny P. Johnson on civil rights initiatives and expanded campus ministry and outreach programs at the adjacent Mary Washington College.

Fred's ministry In Severna Park at Our Shepherd focused not only on Sunday mornings doing what he liked best -- preaching -- but parish ministry as a whole from the children at Our Shepherd's own pre-school to adult classes to old fashioned home visits of not only those new to the growing area but shut-ins and members of the church as well as guiding other programs with a particular pride in the Men at Work Bible Study Group and the Stephen Ministry.

As Severna Park was in its growth era of the 70s onward, Fred would form an ecumenical group of ministers including at least Pasadena, Severna Park and Millersville to spawn several other groups. One of which is still going strong today. That group is SPAN, Serving People Across Neighborhoods since 1990 and housed in Our Shepherd's former parsonage where Fred once resided. That same group maintained a quarterly Pre-marital Conference to be attended by all their engaged couples and; additionally they helped to dent a wee bit of time from the local marching band where confirmands were frequently dinged for missing practices. Further they also had annual pulpit exchanges and shared youth and Lenten events growing community ties!

In Annapolis Fred chaired a Foster Care Review Board for ten years, and with that the group lobbied the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court for a Family Division to be successfully added in 1998.

Fred also served for many years as Hospice of the Chesapeake's chaplain for those unchurched and organized and led support meetings with the nursing staff to decompress from their challenging jobs.

In 2002 Pastor Fred said Aloha to his flock in Severna Park to take on one last call in a completely different setting, Lakeside Lutheran Church at Lake Gaston in Littleton, NC.

Here Fred started another ecumenical group and brought area churches to gather for Good Friday services intertwining their ministers and choirs. They helped to grow a local organization which became John 3:16, which joined forces with C.A.R.E. (Child Abuse Resource and Education). Now John 3:16 has its own building, grounds, camps and offers educational support and parental resources helping families of these children with basic needs fostering family growth and stability in Littleton, NC.

Fred considered it his greatest privilege when Lakeside Lutheran Church decided to answer the call offered at the 2006 Virginia Synod Assembly: consider mentoring a seminarian! Lakeside Lutheran would go on to mentor three seminarians from the Theological Seminary of Gettysburg, Carolyn Simonds Shank, 2007; Eric Moser, 2008 and Julie Scheibel Monnard, 2011. Now Reverends Carolyn and Eric each have their own parish in the Delaware-Maryland Synod and Julie is assistant to the Bishop of the Northern Illinois Synod.

Following Fred's retirement in 2011 he worked with Halifax County's Hospice program for several years and served as interim at All Saints Episcopal Church in Roanoke Rapids, NC supplying in several other Episcopal settings at the behest of then Bishop Michael Curry of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina.

Fred's free time was spent writing Lessons Learned for the Our Shepherd's online Bible Study group, Lift Your Spirits led by Alex McKeague via zoom. And of course following his New York Yankees and watching golf knowing he'd never again hit his proudly obtained 8 handicap. His last driving pleasures were taking their Sheltie, Marshall for rides on the golf cart throughout their rural neighborhood.

Besides his wife and children he leaves behind six grandchildren: Josh Curington (Angelica Perez), Providence Village, TX; Nicholas Curington (Kaylene Cobacho), Leesburg, FL; Laura Ludwig, Morgantown, WV; Jaycee, Hunter, and Kallie Eichner all of Huntington Station, NY.

A funeral service will be held at Our Shepherd Lutheran Church in Severna Park, MD, Bishop William (Bill) Gohl, Jr. will conduct Fred's funeral on Saturday, April 26, at 11am with Rev. Carolyn (Simonds) Shank, and Rev. Matt Beers with Fred's ashes interred at Our Shepherd's Memorial Garden.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the music program at Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, 400 Benfield Rd. Severna Park, MD 21146.