Frederick Theobald

Frederick Theobald passed away at 94 peacefully in the presence and love of his family on September 7, 2020.
Robert Frederick Theobald was born December 9, 1925 to Robert Frederick Theobald and Helen Inglemar (Hoopes) Theobald in Bloomfield, Iowa. On December 21, 1947, he was married to Julia Frances Moyer, or "Shug", because she was the sweetest woman he ever knew. He served in both the Second World War and the Korean War. He lived in the Shelby County area from 1952 to 1984 before moving to Columbus Indiana.
Fred Theobald was more than this. To every friend or stranger he met, he always issued a challenge:
 "Tell me a story whether true or not."
His legacy remains with those stories, and all of us, who ask the same.
He was a man that accomplished much, but those accomplishments never defined him. With a silver tongue, a gilded personality, and an idea always in his back pocket he won people over before they even realized it.
If you sat still with him, he would regale you with tales of accidentally shooting a chicken in the head with a nail, or how he paid for his first dental work with rabbits, or how he ran his dad off the road in a case of mistaken identity. We couldn't let him take that last one to the grave with him. Fred Theobald was never short of tales of his antics and adventures. He could hush entire rooms with his yarns.
However, he didn't stop there. He could solve any problems with DAP 230, a stapler, and bicycle tubing. Entire articles of clothing were crafted and tools were optimized with these vital components. No problem was beyond his abilities. A simple solution was an empty medicine bottle that aligned the car perfectly into the garage. He also invented the Puddle Pal, his own portable water floater, so he could pursue his true passion: Fishing.
No fish could be considered safe from his cast. Wherever Fred could drop a line into a body of water, he fished. Anywhere on the continent that he could reach with his loving wife Julia, he fished. He lived as an angler, and he never smiled broader than when there was a lure in the water. Importantly, he was never shy to show you where his honey holes were.
Fred was a man of honesty, integrity, and joy. He was a joy to his wife, and all of his family and friends. His charismatic personality will be missed, and we will do our best to pass down those yarns that he spun.
This is the story of Fred Theobald, and it was told true.
He is gone, but he will never be forgotten. He is preceded in death by two sisters, a brother, two half-brothers and his beloved wife, Julia. Survivors include his daughter Joni Shaw and her husband Jim, his son Michael Theobald, and his wife Mary Ann; his grandchildren Peter, and Andrew Shaw, Megan Jarvis(married to Matt) and Matthew Theobald(married to Sarah); including great grandchildren Maren, Maddie, Margot, and Miles Jarvis, Dylan and Asher Theobald; several nieces and nephews along with many that know him as Uncle Fred. His legacy will live on with all of his immediate and extended family, and as he always said 'he is glad you got to see him'.
A private family service will be held on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020. A public graveside service will follow on Friday, at South Park Cemetery in Greensburg, IN at 1:30pm, with graveside military rites conducted by local veterans organization. In lieu of flowers Memorial donations can be made in his name at the National Parks Conservation Association-npca.org.
 

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