Harold Friedrich Reichert, Sr

military:

• Branch 1: CG
• Enlistment Date 1: 3 Jul 1940
• Release Date 1: 19 Aug 1946

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1998-08-04/news/9808030308_1_mr-re...

Harold F. Reichert Sr., 79, Established Freddie's Anchor Inn OBITUARIES August 4, 1998|By NOREEN MARCUS Staff Writer Like many men of his generation, Harold F. Freddie Reichert Sr. got his first glimpse of South Florida while stationed here in World War II.

He also found what would be his lifelong calling when he worked as a bartender at the Anchor Inn in Fort Lauderdale. He bought the drinking establishment just outside Port Everglades in 1948 and never left.

Mr. Reichert, 79, collapsed and died on Friday of natural causes at the restaurant-lounge now called Freddie's Anchor Inn and Sports Bar at 2411 S. Federal Highway. As he did every day, he had appeared first thing to open up and help prepare for the day's customers.

We're just thankful that he went quickly and where he loved to be, said his daughter-in-law Sheri, wife of the Anchor's current owner, Harold F. Reichert Jr. Everyone wishes they could die like that.

Mr. Reichert was from Oak Park, Ill. He spent 29 years with the U.S. Coast Guard, some of it in the reserves, and achieved the rank of chief yeoman.

The armed forces brought him to Miami and for a time he worked as a lifeguard in Miami Beach.

After the war he bought the Anchor Inn, which had started life in 1939 as the Highway Restaurant. It became a popular hangout for sailors from the port, neighborhood people and travelers using the nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

The proprietor didn't believe in taking time off.

We cooked turkeys and hams and fed all those people for free on the holidays, sailors and customers who didn't have any family, Sheri Reichert said.

He was known for his kindness.

This was a man who fed the hungry and came to the aid of those who were homeless, troubled or in need without being asked, night manager Tina Russo wrote in a tribute.

When the younger Reichert took over 20 years ago, he gained a valued helper. This man never sat still, Sheri Reichert said. In addition to his son and daughter-in-law, survivors include: sisters Elsie Wichter and Esther Harris; brother Wilbur Reichert and his wife Nora; daughter Sharron Kolstedt and her husband Don; daughter Terry Williamson and seven grandchildren. His wife Theodora died several years ago.

Fred Hunter Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Visitation at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday will precede a 4:30 p.m. service at the First Presbyterian Church, 401 SE 15th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Cremation will be followed by burial at sea.