Donald E. Fredericks, age 79, passed away on May 12, 2024, at his residence in Stoughton, after a short battle with cancer. Don was a longtime respected teacher and coach in Braintree and a mainstay in the Massachusetts High School Baseball community. Born in Worcester, he was raised and educated in Stoughton and was a graduate of Stoughton High School, Class of 1962 and was a lifelong resident of Stoughton. After Stoughton High he attended Springfield College where he played baseball and earned both his Bachelors and Masters Degrees.
In 1970, Don married Donna M. Ferckel, and together they spent 54 years of marriage and raised their four beloved children. He was a dedicated and loving husband, father, and grandfather. Don and Donna were fixtures in the Town of Stoughton; at sports fields when their kids were young and later it was Friday Nights at the Town Spa and Saturday Nights at the 99 or Doyle's in Easton. Regardless of the restaurant, onion rings were always ordered.
Don worked as a Physical Education Teacher at Braintree High School, a job he held for almost 40 years. In addition to teaching, he had a passion for coaching and, after several years as an assistant, was named the Head Baseball Coach at Braintree High School in 1972, a position he held until 1992. Over the span of those two decades, Fredericks galvanized Braintree's baseball program turning the Wamps into perennial contenders. His charisma, intensity, and knowledge carried Braintree to a 337-98 record, 11 Bay State League championships, four Eastern Mass championships, and three state titles. Fredericks carried his skills as a mentor on the diamond into the summer as Braintree's American Legion coach where he posted a 430-135 mark and coached the 1989 group to the national championships. His accomplishments earned him a spot in the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1995. He was trusted, passionate, honest, and invested in the growth of student-athletes and coaches across the region for decades.
Fredericks impact on the Braintree community stretched beyond the baseball field as he manned the sidelines as the Wamps' varsity basketball coach from 1981-1989. In the years after his coaching career on Town Street ended, Fredericks remained as a faculty manager serving as a guiding force for Braintree's athletics programs. His skills as a master motivator and his devout loyalty made Fredericks the consummate 'Coach' whose players deemed him as such for decades long after their playing days were over. No one more synonymous with Massachusetts high school baseball, Fredericks remained a mainstay on the diamond after he left coaching in 1992. He transitioned to officiating where he spent decades as an umpire and helped coordinate umpires for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's state baseball tournament. He spent a summer assigning officials for the Cape Cod Baseball League and for decades oversaw umpires in the Patriot League, South Shore League, Mayflower League, Hockomock League, and most notably the Bay State League. His presence on the field as an umpire mirrored those from his times atop the dugout, generating the aura of one present for only the sport's most marquee games.
In his most recent years, Don maintained his status as a leader in the state's most prominent baseball circles. From 2014-2019 he served as the Division 1A 'Super Eight' Tournament Director, was an assistant to the state tournament from 2021-2023, and remained on the field as an umpire. He maintained a hand in being a teacher of the game, taking trips with his son Kirk who coached within the New England Ruffnecks club baseball program. At home, Don was a voracious reader and enjoyed his morning coffee and donut over his 4 daily newspapers, baseball, umpiring and wrestling magazines. His love of reading went hand in hand with his love of writing. He enjoyed writing sports journalism pieces for Braintree and Weymouth online forums for many years. Don’s fashion choices were all his own. Whether at the Thanksgiving Football game, on the Dennisport beaches or snow blowing the driveway in the winter, he was always in shorts, regardless of the temperature. Along with his wife, he enjoyed traveling to Aruba, Las Vegas and Foxwoods and they all looked forward to their annual summer vacations to Dennisport. Of all his accomplishments, Don’s biggest joy was being surrounded by his family.
In addition to his wife Donna M. (Ferckel) Fredericks, he is survived by his children, Kirk A. Fredericks (Kristy) of Natick, Keith P. Fredericks (Kimberly) of Mansfield, Kyle S. Fredericks, and Keri A. Fredericks (Shawn Murphy) all of Easton. He was the beloved Grampy of Molly, Reese, Ryan, Tyler, Kayley, Kalissa, Kidd and Kieran Fredericks and Lorelai and Rylin Murphy.
Visiting Hours will be held in the Farley Funeral Home, 358 Park St. (Rt. 27) Stoughton on Thursday May 16th from 4-7 PM with Family Reflections to follow at 7 PM. Donations in Don’s memory may be made to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215 orDonate to Dana-Farber and help fight cancer | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (jimmyfund.org)
