Frederick Messerschmitt, 90, led motorcycle club

Frederick Messerschmitt, 90, of Gloucester City, a former Philadelphia butcher and South Jersey motorcycle club president, died Monday, Jan. 5, at home.

Mr. Messerschmitt grew up on a cattle ranch in Nevada, was home-schooled, and ran away to join the Army when he was 17.

He was in the second wave of the Normandy invasion on D-Day, but he was never certain whether he landed on Omaha Beach or Utah Beach because "there was a lot of confusion and miscommunication," son Karl said.

Mr. Messerschmitt told his family that during World War II "he was a frontline gravel crusher," because so much time in the infantry was spent walking country gravel roads.

"He never shared the gruesomeness of war; he sheltered us from that," his son said. "All the stories were adventurous."

But he did say that "in Europe, if you went into a bar with 50 cents, you could spend hours and still walk out with the 50 cents, because everybody wanted to buy the soldiers a drink."

Known as "Fritz," Mr. Messerschmitt worked as a butcher for 30 years, from the 1960s into the 1980s, at Clover Beef Co., a former processing and packing firm in Philadelphia.

"In the 1950s, he was running with a motorcycle club called the Blackhawks," his son said, and for a time was president of the club, which met at Big Fred's Welding Shop in West Collingswood Heights.

"The whole club had Harleys," his son said, emphasizing that it was a club, not a gang.

"In 1964, the year I was born," his son said, Mr. Messerschmitt gave up his motorcycle days, "because I was born.

"He was a devoted father. We did have the best dad in the world."

Flossie Kammaus knew Mr. Messerschmitt for years because her family and his family "raised our kids together. He was the best.

"We used to camp in southwest Maryland; we would go for the whole week," sleeping sometimes in tents and sometimes in trailers.

Besides his son, Mr. Messerschmitt is survived by daughters Lorraine Winters and Denise, and six grandchildren. His wife, Helen, and a son, Fred, died earlier.

A viewing was set from 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at the McGuinness Funeral Home, 34 Hunter St., Woodbury, before a 3 p.m. life celebration there. Interment is to be private.

Donations may be sent to the charity of one's choice.

Condolences may be offered to the family at www.mcgfuneral.com.

610-313-8134 @WNaedele