Stephen Douglas Fricker passed away at home in Meridian, ID on April 8th, 2022, at the age of 55 from ALS. Steve was born on March 23rd, 1967, in Providence, RI to Joan (Praski) and Douglas Fricker. He was the youngest, and cutest, of six children. Steve moved with his family to Largo, Florida when he was 10 and then, a few years later, to San Diego CA. He graduated from El Cajon Valley High school in 1985 and attended Cuyamaca College a few years later.
Steve is survived by his wife, Janet; daughter, Charlotte; mother, Joan; uncle, Stephen; brothers, Tom (Nellie) and John (Karen); sisters, Kathy, Karen (Freddie), and Kris and many nephews and nieces.
He met his wife, Janet in 1988. Their daughter, Charlotte was born in 1992. The little family, including DJ, the dog, and Shirley, the cat, left San Diego in 2001 for the greener pastures of Medford, OR -Charley crying and Shirley yowling for half the journey up Northbound Interstate 5. After they bought their first home in Medford they moved again 4 years later, this time heading east to Meridian, ID.
Always a hard worker, he last worked for DB Companies, Inc maintaining many of their Eagle properties. He had a great work ethic, never took a sick day, and always produced quality work. Steve was loved by the people he saw every day at work for his sense of humor and upbeat outlook.
He was a funny guy. Always slipping a hilarious remark into a conversation unexpectedly or pranking coworkers and friends. Even when he was confined to bed during his last few months, he couldn’t resist using his eyes to set off the very loud alarm on his speech-generating device, causing his massage therapist, or other unwitting person, to nearly jump out of their skin. He also once told one of his caregivers, who shall be nameless, “Hey, my eyes are up here”.
Before he became disabled, Steve loved to go fishing, play golf, and travel with Janet to Europe. His favorite cities were Barcelona and Paris. He never stopped being a diehard fan of his Boston sports teams, especially the Bruins and the Celtics!
His passing has left a huge hole in the lives of those he left behind, but also many, many happy memories. Steve’s family would like to thank everyone who helped them along the bumpy ALS road. Friends, coworkers and neighbors who supported and fed us, and helped maintain our home after Steve was no longer able to. To family who visited and helped take care of him, especially Karen C. To Budge, who brought his guitar to Steve’s bedside to play many beautiful songs. Thanks to his neurologist, Dr Heidi Orme, and her staff for their empathetic care. To Shane Davis, ATP at Norco, a wonderful problem-solver who made sure Steve got all his equipment fitted to his needs, and who became a friend. Lastly, Steve’s care team at Keystone Hospice, especially Laura, his massage therapist.
We will have a Celebration of Steve’s Life at his home, 3150 N Timberfalls Way, Meridian, on Saturday, June 25th at 3pm. Please bring a Steve story to share, unless it’s in really bad taste, in which case we’ll have you go first.
Please consider donating to Team Gleason.org in memory of Steve. Team Gleason is a wonderful organization, highly rated by Charity Navigator, which empowers people with ALS to gain access to grants, innovative technology resources, needed equipment and care services to improve their quality of life.
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