Frederick Rourke

The funeral for Frederick James Rourke, 89 was Tuesday, March 4, at First Christian Church of Hennessey officiated by Rev. Ish Engle and Rev. Grant Curtis.

Burial followed at Hennessey Cemetery under the direction of Cordry-Gritz Funeral Home.

Frederick was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on Oct. 6, 1935, to Richard and Elsie Rourke.

After finishing prep school, he was conscripted to service and learned the trade of tool and die making for five years.

Next, he had two years of military service where he was in the merchant marines traveling the world as an engineer on a royal British tanker ship.

After he returned to Newcastle he met and married Margaret MacDonald. They had Susan, then emigrated to Toronto, Canada, where two weeks later Margaret was killed in car accident.

He then met and married Lilian Jordan. They have been married 60 years.

In 1967 they emigrated to the United States to Seattle to work for Boeing. In 1970, they moved to San Diego.

In 1974 they returned to Seattle where he had many jobs in the scientific community until he retired in 1995.

They bought a home in the mountains of Washington for the summer and Yuma, Ariz., in the winter and traveled the world until 2008 when they moved to Hennessey to be near family.

Fred was preceded in death by his parents and older sister.

He is survived by younger sister Irene and husband Ron of Newcastle, England; wife Lillian of the home; daughter Susan and husband Mark Henry, granddaughter Laura and husband Richard Pitts, their children Breanna and Jordan; grandson Richard and wife Courtney Robar, their children Jacob, Jesse and Jenna of Enid.