Fredric R. Jonas

Fredric Ross Jonas was born on May 28, 1952 in Philadelphia. He passed unexpectedly on Sunday, March 22, 2026 at the age of 73. Fred was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and uncle. He is survived by his wife of 50 years Marsha Jonas, two children Ian (47) and Lynsey (44), and two grandchildren Eva (17) and Aiden (14).

He met his wife of 50 years, Marsha at Olney High School when they were in 9th grade together. They became fast friends, but their relationship bloomed after high school. They were married in 1975; three years later they had their son Ian and three years after that they had a daughter Lynsey.

Fred has been a hard worker his entire life. His own father died when he was three years old. So, raised by a single mother, Fred had his first job at the age of 9 selling pretzels by the roadside. By the time he was sixteen, he had saved enough money and bought brand-new 1968 Volkswagen Beatle for only $2,000. He bought a lot of cars since; always new, always cash. He hated owing people money and he wasn’t one to keep a car for long.

His pride though was his career of over 50 years: Plumbing. He could not go a day without talking about it with somebody. Even complete strangers. In fact, a day before his death, he was talking to his hospital nurse about plumbing!

Whenever a plumber came to his mother’s house, he’d sit there and watch them work. That fascination turned into his life. After high school, he went to Dobbins Technical High School in North Philadelphia to study plumbing. He became a master plumber, starting his own business Fred Jonas Plumbing and Heating in 1978 which he proudly sold to his son upon his retirement in 2023. Even after though, he still kept his mind on the trade by giving former customer’s advice and going out on estimates for his son. A sedentary life of retirement was not for him. He got a job as a driver at a Ford Dealership. He delivered cars to Massachusetts, Upstate New York, Virginia…wherever. The distance never mattered. The keeping busy did. He hated waiting in line. He once drove an hour to take his children to a haunted house. When he saw how long the line was getting in, he turned right back home again.

On his off time, he volunteered for Big Brothers and Big Sisters where he was a mentor to boys who did not have a father in their life. He was also a member of the Freemasons, the Shriners, and an active member in the Brotherhood of Master Plumbers for over 50 years.

Life never slowed down for him until it slowed him down. And even then, it didn’t slow down his jokes or generosity. He can best be described as generous, impatient, a comedian, and a maniac in his own right. But he was our maniac and he will be missed.

Relatives and friends are invited to Funeral Services Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 11:30 AM at Goldsteins' Rosenberg's Suburban North, 310 2nd Street Pike, Southampton PA 18966. He will be interred after the funeral service at Shalom Memorial Park. Shiva will be held at the Jonas residence from Wednesday, March 25, 2026 from 1:30-7:00 PM, Thursday, March 26, 2026 from 4:00-7:00 PM, and Friday, March 27, 2026 from 4:00-6:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Heart Association: www.heart.org.