Fred Carter Morene passed peacefully into the hands of his Lord on May 16th with his wife of 71years Bertha at his side. Fred was born in Prince George County on September 29, 1923 and lived most of his life in Hopewell, Virginia. Fred enlisted in the Navy at the beginning of World War II and received an honorable discharge. Fred was predeceased by his father, Blace C. Morene (nee Biaggio Morini) and Grace Morene Hicks. He is survived by his wife, Bertha Crocker Morene and three daughters, Brenda Morene Meadors (Don) of Virginia Beach, Joyce Carol Morene of Richmond, and Diane Morene Kinker (Lonnie) of Chesterfield County. Additionally he is survived by three grandchildren, Danielle Morene Fogarty (Tom) of Seattle, WA and Jonathan Dyer Kinker and Kristen Diane Kinker of Chesterfield; and one great-grandson, Conor James Fogarty of Seattle, WA. Fred is a 1941 graduate of Hopewell High School and a graduate of UVA’s School of General Studies, Realtors’ Institute of Virginia, ultimately obtaining his Broker’s License and teaching many aspiring real estate agents. Fred joined Ford Insurance and Real Estate Agency in July, 1948. He began working in the Insurance Department and in1966 he was placed in charge of the Real Estate Department. By serving on many Realtor committees, he became president of the Southside Virginia Association of Realtors and in 1968 was named Realtor of the Year. Mr. Morene served in other positions such as regional vice-president, educational chairman, VAR-VREB chairman, by-laws chairman, and president of the Virginia Real Estate Education Foundation. He was named Virginia Association of Realtors Realtor of the Year in 1995 which is the highest honor bestowed on a Realtor. He also served as a Director from Virginia for the National Association of Realtors as well as a member of several National committees. Mr. Morene was both a partner and President of Ford Agency. Community service rounded out Mr. Morene’s very busy life. He served as president of the Hopewell Chamber of Commerce, a charter member of the Hopewell Jaycees, a director of First Colonial Bank. a member of the Hopewell United Way, chairman of the Hopewell Post Office Advisory Council, director and president of the Hopewell Emergency Crew, director of the Hopewell/Prince George Crime Solvers, member/chairman of the
Hopewell Planning Commission, member of the Southside Virginia Homebuilders Association, a member of the Hopewell Traffic Commission, a member of the Tri-City International Management Council , member of Hopewell Rotary Club. Mr. Morene was honored with several awards including Hopewell Volunteer of the Year 1999 and the Hopewell Business Man of the Year 1989.
Fred had a strong passion for sports. He was the Sports Editor for The Hopewell News from 1941-1948. He was a pioneer in sports reporting as he was the only reporter to forward results to the Richmond Times Dispatch in order to get Hopewell state coverage. Fred was an avid fan of the Hopewell Blue Devils. Attending almost every football and basketball games through the years he was proud to be the public address announcer of Hopewell High School sports for over 45 years. Fred was also a passionate fan of the Detroit Tigers which began as a young boy during the 1934 and 1935 World Series. In 2011, Fred and Bertha Morene established the Fred C. and Bertha C. Morene Scholarship through the John Randolph Foundation to assist students who were pursuing their educational dreams. The Fred C. and Bertha C. Morene scholarship will help make a difference in the lives of these families. This gift of a scholarship is reflective in the way the Morenes live their lives in this community. Fred and Bertha Morene have lived in Hopewell all of their lives. They are very devoted to the Hopewell community. It means much more to them than a place to call home. As long-time members of First Baptist Church, they were both very active and Fred served in numerous capacities: deacon; trustee; and Sunday School teacher and Superintendent. Petersburg Chapel Hopewell Chapel Chesterfield Chapel Dinwiddie Chapel
103 S. Adams Street 820 W. Broadway 3050 West Hundred Road 6616 Boydton Plank Road
Petersburg, VA 23803 Hopewell, VA 23860 Chester, VA 23831 N. Dinwiddie, VA The Morene family would like to thank the staff at the Towers in Richmond, where they recently resided, for
the wonderful care he has received over the past ten months. Additionally they would like to thank Dr. Jiho Han, his cardiologist, for the years of excellent care he provided Fred.
The family will receive friends from 5PM to 8PM on Friday May 19th at the Hopewell Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home. A funeral service will be conducted at 2:00PM on Saturday May 20th at First Baptist Church of Hopewell. Interment will follow at Appomattox Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to First Baptist Church or to the Fred C. and Bertha C. Morene Scholarship fund at John Randolph Foundation or First Baptist Church Hopewell. Condolences may be registered at
www.jtmorriss.com
.