Obituary of Natalie Bennett Fredman

Natalie Bennett Fredman, a San Luis Obispo resident for more than 65 years who helped foster the cultural life of the young city with her husband, Superior Court Judge William Fredman, died peacefully on September 20. She was 91.Though she loved this burgeoning community like a native, Natalie was born in Red Bank, N.J., and grew up in Little Silver, N.J. She attended nursing school at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, and after earning her RN degree went to work as a civilian nurse at a U.S. Army hospital in Yokohama, Japan, where her father was a Lt. Colonel. She was also introduced to Bill Fredman in Japan, a young Navy Lt. Commander serving as a lawyer.Natalie returned to the U.S. and a nursing position in San Francisco, and it was there that she reconnected with Bill, who'd been reassigned to Treasure Island. They married within a year.Bill had accepted a job with the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's office, and they dove into life in their new town. While raising three children and working part-time at SLO General Hospital, Natalie involved herself in a vast range of civic and social causes. She and Bill were among the original supporters of the SLO Performing Arts Center and one of the founding families of Congregation Beth David. Natalie also supported Bill's lifelong work with the Lion's Club and Boy Scouts, and served for decades on the board of SAVE, an agency for victims of sexual assault. Natalie adored her three children and indulged their interests in horses and music, and taught them to cook and to think for themselves. She celebrated their careers and personal successes and commiserated with them when something misfired. She exemplified the idea of working to make a difference in your community, whether that community was her tightly knit group of friends or the world at large. She welcomed newcomers to the city into her circles, introducing them to all of her friends and encouraging them to get involved at any opportunity.Above all, Natalie will be remembered for her wry sense of humor, and the delight she took in the life she engaged in. She approached it all with zest and elan, an eye for style and a weakness for Ferragamo shoes. She cherished driving her little sports car - a gift from Bill - but would never allow the convertible top to be put down lest it mess up her hair. She maintained a thick notebook filled with dinner party data, noting each of the guests, the menu, the plates, the d�cor and the linens, so as to not repeat anything when the guests returned. She loved travel and learning about history by visiting places she'd read about or seen in movies. She left behind a sizable collection of menus from some legendary restaurants, which inspired themes at the dinners she held upon returning home.Natalie enjoyed all of the arts, particularly music. A lover of the harp, at age 50 she fulfilled a lifelong dream and acquired a golden Lyon-Healy. She began taking lessons and attending American Harp Society conventions. Although she rarely performed in public, she became part of the harp community, hosting visiting harpists at her home and underwriting the expense of bringing them and other musicians into town for performances with the SLO Symphony.She also, somewhat inexplicably, had a fondness for bagpipe music and the works of John Philip Sousa. Her appreciation for Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington and Count Basie was surpassed only by her zeal for the bandleader Fred Waring, with or without The Pennsylvanians. There were always various combinations of rescue dogs and cats around the house, and she was particularly devoted to her two greyhounds, Mary and Shirley, and her cat, Charlotte. Natalie was also accomplished at gardening, knitting, sewing and needlepoint, and was of a generation that always sent handwritten thank-you cards. She never felt the need to use the mobile phones her family kept giving her, nor did she ever find reason to learn to type. Natalie Fredman is survived by her sister, Patricia Levin of Bradenton, Fla.; son, Dan (Michalene Busico) of San Luis Obispo; daughters, Connie Fredman of Fort Collins, Co., and Jane Fredman (Dr. David Nordstrom) of Colorado Springs, Co.; and grandson, Ian Nordstrom of Fort Collins. She was preceded in death by her husband, the Honorable William "Bill" Fredman. A memorial celebration is planned for the near future. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in her name to the SLO Performing Arts Center or Woods Animal Shelter.