Oliver B. Fardig

OLIVER FARDIG Jan. 5, 1918Nov. 21, 2013 Oliver B. Fardig, age 95, died on November 21 in Sebring, Florida. Formerly of New York and Wisconsin, he was born in Chicago to Andrew Gustavson Fardig and Esther (Anderson) Fardig. Both parents had emigrated alone from Sweden as young adults.Oliver was one of seven children, and he and his identical twin, Sheldon P., both graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, MN, in 1940. He earned his doctorate in biochemistry from Penn State University, where he met fellow chemist Helen Archer. The couple married in 1943, and Helen Fardig died in Door County, WI, in 1998. Dr. Fardig was a research biochemist at Bristol Laboratories in Syracuse, NY, until retirement in 1987. During those years, he and Helen raised five children, taking them camping in the Adirondacks and throughout the West, to East Coast historical sites and,later, skiing in Canada. He did the finish work and stonework on the family home, where he also gardened and made backyard ice rinks. He enjoyed canoeing, swimming,tobogganing, and attending opera at the Metropolitan. He and Helen were active members of the Manlius Baptist Church, where he sang in choirs, the Syracuse Camera Club, and a square dance group. In addition, Oliver was a member and then president of the local school board. After retirement, the Fardigs moved to Sister Bay, WI, familiar territory since his family had planted the first cherry orchard in nearby Ephraim. As youngsters, he and Sheldon had planted thousands of cherry trees during their summer vacations. Oliver was busy with photography, Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church activities, hosting family reunions, visiting Hopi and Navajo youth they sponsored, rafting the Grand Canyon, and learning to play golf and fly a plane. In 2001 Oliver married Mary Torrison Smith, who summers in Ellison Bay, WI. They divided their time between Door County and her winter home in Sebring, from which they explored Florida, took part in book clubs, and attended concerts. Throughout their years together he continued to find pleasure in reading, reciting poetry, the outdoors, and being visited by family. He enjoyed singing with Mary's stepson, Jeff Smith, and the weekly sing-alongs at his assisted living facility. He is survived by his wife, Mary, of Sebring; four daughters, Marsha Stelzer of WI, Leslie Hayes, CO, Elaine Fardig and Alison Urquidi, NJ, and a son, David of PA; six grandchildren, Tess Stelzer Wolfe, Carlin Stelzer, and Chloe (Stelzer) Nephew, Chuck Hayes, and Stefan and Sebastian Urquidi; and a great-grandchild, Emma Nephew. A Celebration of Life service will take place at Shepherd of the Bay in July 2014. Memorials may be made to Highlands Hammock State Park, his favorite Florida destination. Stephenson-Nelson Funeral Home Sebring, Florida www.stephensonnelsonfh.com