Frederic (Fritz) Cherne, 90, dies

Frederic (Fritz) Cherne, 90, passed away on March 1, 2018. He was born in Ely, Minnesota on July 9, 1927. His parents were Frances and Mike Cherne of Ely. Fritz grew up in Ely and spent most of his life there in “God’s Country.”
Fritz was preceded in death by his parents and daughter-in-law Cindy K. Cherne.
Fritz is survived by his loving wife Grace; his five sons: Louie Erzar of Dewey, AZ; Thomas (Marge) Erzar of Ely; Michael Erzar of Ely; Frederic (Cindy) Cherne of Grand Rapids, MI; Chris (Traci) Cherne of Shoicton, WI; and two daughers: Rebecca Thomas of Roseville, MN and Connie (Thomas) of Fargo, ND. He is survived by nine grandsons: Ross (Pam) Erzar, Andrew Erzar, Zach (Kara) Cherne, Nate (Kelly), Cory Winter, Colin Winter, Caleb Winter, Cayden Winter and John Thomas and by five granddaughters: Rachel (Ben) Hammond, Renae (Jeremy) Wortz, Kristin (Sam) Carbough, Emily Peters, and Allison Peters. He is survived by eleven great grandchildren: Madison, Parker, and Fiona Hammond; Ryan and Alexa Erzar; Elliot and Matilda Wortz; Oliver Carbough; Gracelynn, Gideon and Noah Cherne.
Fritz loved his wife of 63 years and his family so very much. He was a devoted husband, father, and son.
Fritz was a guide at Basswood Lodge at a very young age. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1945. He had many interesting working opportunities from tree topping in the great forests of the West to mining in Ely to his favorite, working as a ironworker connector. He loved heights. He painted the Ely water tower and set the lights on the baseball field.
Fritz loved the outdoors. He enjoyed hunting and fishing with his wife, Grace. His cabin was his favorite place on earth.
Fritz was a do-it yourselfer and was recycling old buildings before it became fashionable. He tore down buildings and used the materials to build new buildings like his cabin. As a child of the depression he took care not to waste anything. Fritz was full of wisdom, compassion, humor and honesty. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather who will be greatly missed. A memorial service will be held for Fritz in the summer.