Fred Daniels

 “The Steps of a Good Man are ordered by the Lord.”

Fred Douglas Daniels was born in Elba, Alabama on June 15, 1931 to the late Ester Mae (Holloway) Daniels and Pete Daniels.  He moved to South Orange, NJ in 2015 and he transitioned from this earthly life on July 12, 2020 in Ridgewood, New Jersey.   He had one sibling, brother Marvin Daniels who preceded him in death. Fred was baptized at an early age as a member of the Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Elba, AL., where he taught Sunday school and attended service regularly until his health began to decline.   He was very active in the Church as a faithful member of the Deacon board where he served as Chair for several years.  He was a Master Mason of Crenshaw Lodge #219 and later joined New Hope Lodge #961 and was past patron of Allen Lily #700 Order of Eastern Star for a very long period of time.
Fred was a product of the Elba school district and after his high school graduation, he joined the United States Army, serving a tour of duty during the Korea conflict, and was honorably discharged in 1953.  Upon his return from the military, he attended Alabama State College where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in education.  On completion of his college education, Fred began his career of teaching in the Crenshaw County School district, serving as principal of Helicon (Colored) High School for a few years. He retired from the Crenshaw County School District in 1988.  After retirement from teaching, he became a part-time employee as a jailer for the Luverne Sheriff’s Department. Fred was married in 1954 to the love of his life, the late Eva Ann (Evans) Daniels and they enjoyed a long and loving union until her passing in 2010.  They were both educators and loved their craft of teaching.  They also enjoyed living in Luverne, Alabama and spending their off time in Tampa, Florida.  Fred was an avid outdoors person.  He loved deer hunting, and the tools (guns) used for hunting.  He also loved fishing and gardening.  He was known for his gardening skills; especially for growing the sweetest watermelons and all types of vegetables.Fred had a vibrant personality and was full of life.  He enjoyed watching baseball, football and  basketball, and attended several of his great grandsons’ high school basketball games.  His loving memory will be cherished by his daughters, Doretha Askew of South Orange, NJ and Linda Gandy of Cleveland, Ohio;  Sister-in-law Jerrie Daniels (Marvin), Montgomery, AL, 2 aunts; Ozella McCray of Enterprise, AL and Una Holloway of Brooklyn, NY,  three grandsons; Austin Gandy of Las Vegas, NV; Brian Askew, Denver, CO and Jerome Askew, South Orange, NJ; nephew Duane Phil Daniels of New Orleans, 11 great grands, several nieces and nephews, a host of cousins and friends.

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