S. G. “Fred” Frederick Jr., 94, founder of the Fred Frederick Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership in Laurel and a business and civic leader for many decades, died on Jan. 7, 2026.
Frederick was a leader of the Laurel business community, serving as president of the former Laurel Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Laurel Board of Trade. He also was a leader in the automotive industry, serving as a chairman of the Chrysler National Dealers Council, on which he served for 42 years, and chairman of the Washington Auto Show Board.
In 1996 a Washington-area dealer association nominated him to be the Time Magazine Dealer of the Year.
Other civic leadership positions included chairman of the Greater Laurel Hospital Board and president of the University of Maryland Terrapins Club.
Frederick grew up in Coldwater, Mich., and attended Michigan State University before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps. After leaving the military, he settled in Hyattsville, working as a mechanic and then as a salesman at Lustine Chevrolet. There he met his wife, Betty Anne Jackson, then a student at the University of Maryland. They married in 1956 and moved to Laurel.
In 1959, Frederick opened a DeSoto-Plymouth dealership on Route 1 in Laurel, housed in what was once the only service station between Baltimore and Washington. The dealership, with its expanded franchises, is now operated by Frederick’s four children and has a second location in Easton.
Frederick is survived by his wife, Betty Anne; children Cynthia Frederick, F. Craig Frederick Sr. (Helen), Christopher Frederick (Karen) and Jeff Frederick (Janell); nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
A visitation will be held at Donaldson Funeral Home, 313 Talbott Avenue in Laurel, on Jan. 16 from 6 to 9 p.m. A graveside service will be at Ivy Hill Cemetery on Jan. 17 at 11 a.m. A memorial reception will be held at the Maryland Club, in Xfinity Arena at the University of Maryland, Jan. 17 from 1 to 4 pm.
An obituary posted by Donaldson Funeral Home is at https://www.donaldsonlaurel.com/obituaries/sg-frederick.