Obituary: Von Marbod, Arnold “Fritz”
Born in Colville to Frederick and Katie (Riese) von Marbod, he lived during his childhood in Wenatchee and the Colville Valley.
The sixth of 12 children, Fritz graduated from Chewelah Jenkins High School in 1942.
The year after his graduation, Fritz joined the Army Air Corps.
This led to more than 20 years of outstanding military service that included numerous assignments throughout the United States, and three tours of duty in both Germany and Austria.
Fritz’s flying skills qualified him as a Senior Pilot, and along with additional training as a jet fighter pilot, he requested special training that qualified him as a Senior Parachutist.
Because of Fritz’s knowledge of the German language and extensive training in the field of Intelligence, he was commissioned as an “Intelligence Officer” in July of 1946.
During most of the remaining years of his military service, Fritz’s duties were as an Intelligence Officer assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Frankfurt, Germany, and the U.S. Consulate in Munich, Germany.
His final assignment before being retired as an Air Force Major in 1963 was as the Air AttachĂŠat the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, Austria.
Fritz’s duties while connected with the State Department, Foreign Service, were at the highest level between the U.S. government and the governments of both Germany and Austria.
He was a member of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
Upon retiring from the U.S. Air Force in 1963, Fritz and his family made their home in Spokane Valley, Wash.
He was now back again close to the familiar scenes of his youth, and where he could pursue his favorite hobby of hunting and fishing.
Not one to remain idle after an active career in the U.S. Air Force for more than 20 years, he worked for C. Fritz Nelson, a real estate agency in Spokane, to learn the business.
Hearing about unusual opportunities in Moses Lake, Fritz and Anna moved there and shortly thereafter formed his own company, Baron Realty.
During the year 1981, Fritz was elected on the Moses Lake-Othello Board of Realtors and became the state director.
However, now at the age of 57, Fritz decided to see the world, and among the destinations he sought were the sentimental journeys to Southern Germany where he had been stationed, and where his brother Robert and his wife Julia had a home in Bavaria’s fairyland playgrounds.
Robert and his wife who had worked for U.S. State Department Foreign Service, assigned to the American Embassy, returned to the United States in 1995, to make their home in Moses Lake, and so Fritz also returned to Moses Lake to retire.
His wife, Anna, precedes Fritz in death.
Surviving are three brothers and three sisters; also his son Lance and Tere von Marbod of Spokane Valley, his son Eric and Karin von Marbod of Port Orchard; grandson Maxx von Marbod (Lindsay) of Seattle and granddaughter Heidi von Marbod of Spokane and many nieces, nephews.
There are several things connected with Fritz that disclose the reason why he was admired by those who knew him over the years: During the years following his graduation from Chewelah Jenkins High School, Fritz made every effort to attend the “Class of ‘42” reunions - sometimes with great sacrifices.
It became well known that many of his classmates were like “family” to him.
Fritz will always be remembered by both family and friends for being the perfect host.
All were welcomed to his home and treated royally while he lived in the United States and while serving his country in Europe.
Fritz and his two sons, Lance and Eric, had a special day of the year that they always had marked on the calendar: September 1, the date that dove and grouse hunting started.
This September 1, 2015 happened to be the very day that their father passed away to a better world, and they will no longer be able to join their father for their traditional hunts together but they are convinced he is still in the field.
Heritage Memorial Chapel are making funeral arrangements, East Wenatchee, Wash. and a private Christian burial service will be at his graveside.
Burial and full military honors will be at the Wenatchee City Cemetery.