Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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| Frederick (Michael St. Jude) Dengler. (1950 - 2018) Source: YouTube - link below. |
Yesterday I wondered in my post where Fred Dengler was. He was the fellow that always answered my fossil questions. I didn't know anything about fossils when I began this blog, but Fred was always there. Even though I never met him, I distinctly remember one email from years ago when he said, "I'm here for you." That impressed me. Not only did he answer my questions, but he let me know that I could count on him.
When I said I missed Fred in yesterday's post, one other blog-friend went looking for him and found that he had moved on from this earth. Alberto sent me this obituary.
FREDERICK M. DENGLER
1950 - 2018
FREDERICK M. DENGLER, 68
BARTOW - Frederick M. Dengler, also known professionally as Frederick Michael St. Jude, age 68, passed away Friday, June 8, 2018 in Lakeland, FL, after a very adventurous life.
Born on January 14, 1950 in Pottsville, PA, he was the son of the late Frederick Dengler and Martha (Bennett) Dengler (living). Mr. Dengler was an Artist and worked in the Entertainment Industry for many years, having appeared on stage, in tv and movies, fronting several bands and having released albums and other musical collaborations which can continue to be shared with the world. He was also an author, sculptor, and a prolific painter. Mr. Dengler was a collector of rare artifacts and a fossil expert, having two previously undiscovered fossils named after him.
He is survived by a loving family that includes his wife of 48 years, Suzanne Dengler of Bartow, his daughter Shannon McPherson and her husband Jason of Bartow and his two grandchildren: Zack and Annabelle, as well as his sisters Debbie and Dawn, brother Dana, and many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Freddie's life will be held at a later date. Condolences to the family at
www.whiddenmcleanfuneralhome.com ; donations may be made in his honor to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Published in Ledger from June 12 to June 13, 2018
I knew about Fred's kindness and knowledge of fossils, but there was a lot about Fred that I didn't know. He was also an singer, artist, mystic, science fiction enthusiast and actor.
You know how you find an object, maybe a coin, and it is a very nice coin - a real keeper - and you put it aside only later to do some research and find out that there is a lot about it that you didn't know, and you find out it is more unique, complex and wonderful than you ever expected? Then you appreciate it even more.
It is like that with people too. For most, you only know a little bit about them. You don't know the whole range of who they are. You might underestimate them and assume that there is little more than the little that you know. That is a big mistake.
The funny thing is, I was wondering where Fred was, and thanks to Alberto's research, within hours I found a documentary on Fred entitled Frederick Michael St. Jude - Here Am I.
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| Fred Dangler Acting with Sheena Easton On Miami Vice. Source: YouTube - link below. |
As I said, Fred was an actor. Above is Fred with Sheena Easton on Miami Vice.
The YouTube documentary opens with Fred sifting for fossils and philosophizing. It shows some of his collection and then gets more into his music and art.
I hope you will take a look. Here is the link.
Thanks Fred, and thanks to all of you that have helped me in one way or another over the years.
A lot of experts and very knowledgeable people read and contribute to this blog. You might be surprised to learn who they are and what they do.
Today I just wanted to say thank you and pay my respects to someone that helped me many times without even knowing me, and by extension, say thank all of you who help me on a daily basis.
Today I just wanted to say thank you and pay my respects to someone that helped me many times without even knowing me, and by extension, say thank all of you who help me on a daily basis.
People are very much like buried objects on a beach. You have to make the effort to discover them and get to know them.
The long and winding road that once stretched out into the unseen future, now looking back, doesn't look very long at all. The people that you traveled with or met along the way, show the wear, as do you. Many other fellow travelers are no longer on that path. You appreciate it all the more. Fellow travelers who stuck with you through tough or long parts of the journey, you love all the more.
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A day or two ago I posted a fossil tooth for ID. I said I thought it was a Megalodon tooth. I got confirmation of that from Al Coffey. Here is what he said.
That is a Megalodon Shark tooth and by the color it came from one of the mines in the Lakeland area. Fossil collectors call that area Bone Valley. I have a t shirt design specifically for that area at meghunter.net. The shark teeth that come from the mines come in different colors like green, blue, and the yellow color shown and are favorites of shark tooth collectors. A quick google search of Bone Valley Megalodon will show plenty of examples. Back in the good old days people used to walk the mines and find these teeth and other fossils but as we all know times have changed. The mines now all have security and they have been done giving warnings for years now. Some still make it out of the mines though and you can see many examples on ebay where you can see the nicely colored and complete teeth are worth quite a bit.
Thanks Al.
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| Source: nhc.noaa.gov |
The one out in the Atlantic is too far away to tell, but as you can see the map is heating up. We've had a lot of hot weather this year and the water is warm.
Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net
