Obituary of Frederick Francis Urbanek

Frederick Francis Urbanek Oct 28, 1935 ~ Dec 13, 2019 Frederick Francis Urbanek passed away suddenly on December 13, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The son of two Polish immigrants, Frederick was born in Philadelphia, PA on October 28, 1935 to Walter and Laura Czerw Urbanek. Growing up in a challenging, poverty ridden environment, Frederick displayed a strong work ethic coupled with genuine talents in the visual arts and design. While in high school, he was awarded a full, 4-year scholarship to continue his education at the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. His home is filled with his beautiful water color artwork. After graduating, Frederick was drafted into the United States Military to serve during the Korean War. While he was disqualified from combat due to health reasons, his commanding officer kept him on duty to serve his country by designing officer clubs. During his career in the military, Frederick designed more than 50 officer clubs. Following his time in the military, Frederick attended Drexel University on the G.I. Bill where he studied architecture. He graduated at the top of his class and soon after was employed by the large Eastern US supermarket chain Food Fair/Pantry Pride where he designed and built stores all throughout the Eastern United States. He relocated to Florida and obtained his general contractors license there. The supermarket chain grew from 275 stores in 1951 to over 500 in 1978, thanks in large part to the contributions of Frederick. In the 1980s Fred was recruited by Smith's Brothers to expand Smith's food stores in the Western United States. He relocated to Salt Lake City where he served as Senior Vice President of construction. He was in charge of building more than 100 Smith's stores all over the Western United States. His stores were always built on time and underbudget. Fred's hard work and dedication to Smiths resulted in a successful acquisition by Kroger in a multimillion dollar buy out. Throughout his life Fred loved the ocean, boating, fishing, nature and his work. He painted many watercolors of lakes, streams, boats and various outdoor scenes. His love of dogs was a newfound love after marriage to Debbie. Frederick was pre-deceased by his first wife, Carol. He leaves behind his beloved wife Debbie Davis Peck, who shared their years together with so much fun, adventure, and heartfelt love. He also leaves behind his brother, Walter, his sister, Lorraine, and his stepchildren, Claudia and Jacob Peck. Additionally, he leaves his pals and companions, his 3 dogs, William, Rudy, and Lil. We miss him deeply. Funeral services will be held on Friday January 3, 2020 at Kraft Sussman Funeral Home 3975 S Durango Drive #104 Las Vegas, NV. 89147. Viewing is from 9:00-11:00 Service at 11:00.