Fred T. Aide, 92, of Hazel Green, WI passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Monday, April 25, 2016 at Epione Pavilion in C u ba City, WI. In keeping with his wishes, his body was donated to the University of Wisconsin Medical School. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 30 th at St. Francis de Sales Catholic C h urch in Hazel Gree n, WI with Father Ken Frisch officiating . Friends may call from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service on Sat. April 30 th at the chur ch. A private family burial will be held at a later date. T he Haudenshield Funeral Home & Crem ation Services in Cuba City, WI is serving the family.

Fred was a lifelong resident of Hazel Green, WI, where he was born on January 16, 1924, to parents Tom and Myra (Lenstra) Aide. He often shared stories of his depression era boyhood and the adventures shared with the " HG kids" who remained lifelong friends.  As a high school sophomore trumpet player, he first played " Taps" at Hazel Green 's annual Memorial Day observance which he repeated every Memorial Day and at veterans' funerals for over twenty-five years.

After a year and a half year of college at Platteville Teachers' College, Fred enlisted in the U.S. Navy in December of 1942. In March of 1943 he went on active duty as a Navy V-5 aviation cadet at the University of Texas. He first soloed after 8 hours of instruction in Taylor Craft planes. He transferred to the University of Georgia for three months of preflight training. Subsequent training included " lighter than air" instruction at Moffett Field, CA, and advanced blimp training at Lakehurst, N.J.  He piloted blimps in 33 all night anti-submarine missions near the Panama Canal Zone, the Gulf of Mexico, and the east coast of the southern U.S. patrolling for German subs and escorting convoys of military and commercial supply ships. In August of 1945, he began " heavier than air" training and on November 19, 1946, he made his first aircraft carrier landing. Fred was a proud member of the Temperly-Duncan Chapter of the American Legion, the National Airship Association, and the Navy Tailhook Association.

He was grateful for the opportunity to take an " Honor Flight" to Washington, D.C. in October 2010. A final thrill for Fred as a veteran was on November 3, 2012, in Dubuque, Iowa, when he rose to salute his Commander in Chief, President Barack Obama, who saluted back and then reached into his suit pocket for a Presidential Seal medallion that he gave to Fred.

Beginning in 1947 and in partnership with his father, Fred built a successful plumbing, heating, and electrical contracting business, Tom Aide and Son. He worked in that business until his retirement in 1985. Always ready to fly, Fred often piloted small planes taking colleagues on business trips, flying friends and family above the Tri-State area, and getting many Packer fans to Green Bay.

Home on leave, Fred met the love of his life, Elsie Mae Banwarth from Elizabeth, IL, at the Royal Palais, Galena, at a Thanksgiving Night Dance in 1946. Engaged after his honorable discharge from the Navy in 1947, Fred and Elsie Mae were married on May 8, 1948. They would enjoy many, many dances with friends and family over the years.   They also loved to travel. During their 68 years of marriage, they visited all 50 states, 49 countries, and six of seven continents as well as cruising the Mississippi, the Caribbean, the Nile, the Amazon, the Mediterranean and the Southeast Asia coast.

Fred and Elsie Mae raised four daughters and one son: Bonnie (John) Cox, Susan (John) Udelhofen, Claudia (Greg) Quam, Mary Kay Aide, and Jeffrey Aide. Fred and Elsie Mae's nine grandchildren are: Jennifer Cox Baker, Emily (John) Craiger, Michael (Adriana) Cox, Brian (Erin) Udell, Katie (Peter) Udelhofen-Clark, David (Allison) Quam, Andrew Quam, Tyler Aide Hulsey, and Lea Aide Hulsey. They have nine great grandchildren: Julia and Danny Baker, Johno and Audrey Craiger, Benjamin and Emilia Cox, Genevieve and Sebastian Udell, and Gracie Clark.

Fred will be remembered by his friends and family for his love of a good joke and his ability to have one ready for every occasion. He worked hard to make a good living for himself and his family, and he wholeheartedly believed that " a penny saved was a penny earned. " He lived and spoke honestly and expected the same from others.

Fred was preceded in death by one sister, Geneva Krey, his parents, and members of his wife's family: parents George and Bertha Banwarth, five sisters-in-law and three brothers in law.

In lieu of flowers, Fred requested that memorials be sent to the Naval Aviation Museum, 1750 Radford Blvd., Pensacola, FL, 32506, St. Francis de Sales Building Fund, 2720 N. Percival, Hazel Green, WI 53811 or a charity of your choice.