Col. Frederic David Hyatt, USA-Ret., of Raritan Township, NJ, died peacefully on Friday, October 21, 2022, at Independence Manor, surrounded by his cherished family and under the caring watch of Hunterdon Hospice.

Born on August 15, 1932, in Waterloo, NY, son of the late Vernon and Doris Ditch Hyatt, Fred had lived in the Flemington, NJ, area for the past six years. He had formerly lived for many years in Stratford, CT, as well as many places around the world.

Raised in Gorham, NY, Fred graduated from Gorham Central School in 1950 (where his father was the Principal), serving as Class President of the senior class. He was also voted by his classmates as, “most likely to succeed”.

Attending the University of Rochester, he was first employed by the Eastman Kodak Company prior to entering military service. It was during the Korean conflict that Fred joined the United States Army and was assigned to the 10^th Infantry Regiment, 5^th Infantry Division. He was commissioned as a 2^nd Lieutenant in 1953 at Fort Benning, GA, which was the start of a thirty-year brilliant and dedicated military career.

Fred’s Korean conflict service time would see him serve three tours of duty in the Pacific theater and one tour in the European theater with a non-US NATO Artillery Command. He also had numerous school and stateside assignments during this period which would propel him towards making the military a true career path.

Stateside, he initially was assigned to Fort Sill, OK, as the Post Ammunition officer while serving in the 424^th Ammunition Company, 184^th Ammunition battalion, a post which began a long and distinguished career in the field of munitions.

Reassigned to Taiwan in 1955 as a military advisor to the Chinese National Army, Fred would develop a special working relationship with his counterparts and received a commendation from the Ministry of National Defense on behalf of Chiang Kia-Shek, President of the National Republic of China. Four months of this special assignment were spent on the offshore islands of Matzu and Quemoy, which were under frequent artillery bombardment from mainland China and the lessons Fred learned here were invaluable to his future with the Army.

In 1957, he was reassigned again to Letterkenny Army Depot, Chambersburg, PA, as an Assistant for Supply Operations. It was in Chambersburg, on January 24, 1959, where he would marry Ms. Maryanne Gray, a proud “Army Brat”, who Fred met when her father and Fred were both stationed at Letterkenny. The two would be smitten instantly, and so began their life of traveling the world. She was a constant source of encouragement for Fred, and was his “Commander-in-Chief”.

The couple would be blessed with three children, Cheryl, Kathy, and Fred, each of whom held a special place in their parent’s hearts. They all recall their dad as a man of massive integrity, whose kindness, loyalty, and humility were surpassed only by his ability to genuinely love all people.

With his children finding their own life partners who Fred loved equally as much, he soon would find himself with the title he cherished most in the world: “Gramper”. Grammer and Gamper would do anything for their grandchildren, and relished their yearly trip to Woodloch Pines, where all the family could be together and celebrate just being a family. The annual Woodloch gathering was always timed around Maryanne’s birthday celebration, a gift from Fred that filled both their hearts. It was a celebration that drew every member of what is now four generations of Hyatt’s, and truly encapsulated what family meant to Fred and Maryanne.

Fred’s military career would move rapidly after his wedding and later in 1959 he was sent to Fort Sill for artillery training and then posted to Fort Lewis, WA, to command a 105mm Howitzer Battery of the 4^th Infantry Division. In 1961, he was reassigned to the Army Command Headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany, with inspection and operations duties over non-US NATO Special Ammunition storage sites in West Germany and NATO countries in the theater.

1964 saw the young family returning stateside, where Fred was reassigned to the Command Group of the Army Material Command in Washington, DC, as Deputy Program Manager for Nuclear and Chemical Weapons. Promoted to the rank of Major, he was one of the youngest Army officers to be awarded the Legion of Merit with three oak clusters in peacetime assignment, an extreme honor for this humble man.

In 1967, Fred was reassigned to the 4^th Infantry Division, Pleiku, Vietnam, first as the Division Ammunition Officer during the TET offensive. He would go on to become Commander of the 704^th Maintenance Battalion, and Fred’s time in Vietnam as an officer would give him a strategic understanding about serving on the front lines that would make him a better leader in all his future assignments. It was also during his time in Vietnam where Fred was exposed to large quantities of Agent Orange from 1967 to 1968, and from where he developed a passion for ensuring all those who suffered ill effects got the help and support they needed; an effort that he hopes continues through those who are reading this right now.

In 1968, he was again reassigned to Washington, DC, to the Defense Nuclear Agency, and served as Deputy Chief of the Stockpile Management Division and periodically served with the National and alternate National Command Authority staffs. Following a year of schooling, in July of 1971 he was transferred to the Pacific Command Headquarters in Honolulu, HI. Initially assigned as the Korean Desk Officer, he oversaw the foreign military sales and grant aid programs to that country. Later, he was transferred to a Battle Staff team that monitored 24-hour operations in the theater and was the briefing officer for executing the worldwide thermos nuclear war plan.

Fred’s most rewarding assignment during his time in Hawaii, and one could argue his entire military career, was being part of the Theater Repatriation Team that was responsible for bringing the Prisoners of War (POWs) out of Hanoi. The importance of this team’s duty was something that Fred drilled into his children and would drive home for the rest of his life as he supported military families whose loved one’s were either prisoners or those who never made it home.

1975 brought Fred and Maryanne to Picatinny Arsenal, Dover, NJ, where he had several assignments. He commanded a field activity conducting nuclear and chemical weapon surety inspections throughout the United States, served as Chief of Staff of the Armament Research and Development Command, and later as Post Commander until his retirement in 1982 as a full Colonel in the United States Army.

As someone who prided himself and also thrived on hard work and mental stimulation, “retirement” was not in the Colonel’s vocabulary. Civilian life saw Fred joining Avco Corporation in Stratford, CT, initially as Program Manager for factory modernization of a turbine engine facility producing helicopter and main battle tank engines. Later, he was selected as a director to head up a Joint Program Office for two separate R&D programs with GE and United Technology Corporations for the next generation of military turbine engines.

Upon his second “retirement”, Fred accepted a Base Closure assignment with the Office of Economic Adjustment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense to close the Stratford Army Engine Plant. Working until his late 70’s, Fred would often tell his grandchildren the motto which he lived by, “Never Stop Serving”, and serve he most certainly did!

With a thirst for knowledge that was insatiable, Fred held a BA from the University of Maryland and an MBA from Pepperdine College. He also completed a Program Management program at the University of Southern California, and was a graduate of the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle, PA.

Faith was an important part of Fred’s persona, and he was an active member of the Episcopal Church around the world and served on several parish vestries throughout the country where he was stationed. A member of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, he was especially involved in St. John’s Episcopal Church, Dover, NJ, and Christ Episcopal Church, Stratford, CT. In recent years, he was a member of Calvary Episcopal Church, Flemington, NJ.

With many hobbies and memberships, Fred was a member of the National Defense Industrial Association since 1954, and had served as President of the greater NY/CT Chapter; he was a member of the Connecticut Air and Space Center, Stratford, CT, serving as President from 2010 to 2012; was active in the Stratford, CT community serving as chairman of the Economic Development Commission, the Greenway Commission, and the Board of Zoning Appeals; was a past President of the Stratford Rotary Club, a member of the Flemington Rotary Club, and has received the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow award from Rotary International.

The life of Colonel Frederic David Hyatt is best summed up by simply looking at the love put forth by all the hearts who have been touched by this larger than life persona. Fred lived daily by practicing the foundationary  principles taught in 1 Corinthians 13:13: Faith, Hope, and Love, these three, but the greatest of these, is Love. To honor him is to be a bit more kinder, a bit more optimistic, and to love with all the good that God puts in the hearts of his children. Rest now, Colonel, in the arms of your “Commander-in-Chief” who has been waiting two years to give you a hug and say, “Welcome Home”.

In addition to his parents, Fred was preceded in death by his beloved Maryanne in 2020; a brother, Philip Hyatt; a sister-in-law, Judith Hyatt; a sister-in-law, Fran Lucas; and a brother-in-law, Richard T. Gray, Jr.

Surviving are his devoted children and their spouses, Cheryl and Michael Carboine, Kathy and Robert Behre, and Fred and Jen Hyatt; his cherished grandchildren, Michael Carboine, Jr. and his wife, Reese, Kimberly Catalano and her husband, Angelo, Casey Behre, Ryan Behre, Hogan Hyatt, and Macey Hyatt; his great grandchildren, Andrew Carboine, Jolene Carboine, Luciana Catalano, and another future great granddaughter due in early 2023; a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Mim and John McDermott; a sister-in-law, Shirley Gray; a sister-in-law, Joan Hyatt; several extended family members; his caregiver, Manuel and his Independence Manor family; and many dear friends around the world.

A joint life celebration service for Fred and his beloved wife, Maryanne, officiated by Rev. Harry Mazujian, will take place on Monday, November 7, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at Calvary Episcopal Church, corner of New York Avenue and Broad Street, Flemington, NJ 08822, under the care and direction of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ. Everyone is requested to meet at the church beginning at 10:45 a.m. that Monday morning.

Realizing that some may be unable to attend the life celebration service, this service will be live-streamed, with the stream being active starting at 10:45 a.m. on Monday, November 7, 2022. To watch, please click HERE and kindly ensure you do not have a pop-up blocker enabled (if you are having issues with clicking above, please follow this link: https://vimeo.com/event/2550541). 

Services and Interment at Arlington National Cemetery will be posted here when known.

You are encouraged to visit Fred’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of his life.

Memorial contributions in Fred’s honor may be made to the American Diabetes Association, via mail to: P.O. Box 7023, Merrifield, VA  22116-7023, or online by clicking HERE.

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”

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