SERRAL, FREDERICK A.

Frederick A. Serral, 84, of Old Indian Trail, died Saturday [August 19, 2006].

Mr. Serral was president of The Austin Co. from March 1980 until July 1989, and later served as chairman of the executive committee.

He was born in Ambler, Pa., on April 30, 1922. After graduation from Ambler High School in 1940, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps.

During World War II, he was part of an elite group of Marines known as “Edson’s Raiders” who were lightly armed and trained to “hit and run.” He was later part of the 5th Marine Division.

Mr. Serral saw action on Tulagi, Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Tarawa and other areas of fierce fighting in the Pacific, later serving as a repatriation officer in Japan after the war’s end. He completed his service career in 1946 and was discharged as a staff sergeant.

Because of his wartime friendship with Robert C. Austin, he visited Greeneville in 1947 and decided to stay and attend Tusculum College, working at The Austin Co. during the burley tobacco season. He eventually became a buyer for the company. Later, he was vice president in charge of the company’s Far Eastern operation before being named president in 1980.

Mr. Serral was a longtime member of Asbury United Methodist Church and a charter member of Link Hills Country Club.

“He was a very generous man who supported local and national causes that he believed in,” his family noted.

“Freddie, as he was known to his friends and family, loved music and enjoyed dancing, singing, and playing his harmonica, which he usually carried in his pocket. He always enjoyed the company of fellow Marines,” the family stated.

Survivors include his wife of 48 years: Barbara Elliott Serral; a daughter: Amie Serral Moyer and her husband, Andrew, of Dallas, Texas; two sons: Fred H. Serral of Ravenel, S.C., and Elliott A. Serral of Myrtle Beach, S.C.; four grandchildren: Betsy Serral and Lilli Serral, both of Hilton Head, S.C., and Drew Moyer and Will Moyer, both of Dallas; a sister: Tessa Capitano; several nieces and nephews, including a special niece: Sylvia Grella of Landsdale, Pa.; and several great-nieces and great-nephews.

He was a son of the late Anthony and Lydia Saylor Serral and was preceded in death by a sister: Elizabeth Niblock.

There will be no formal visitation. A celebration of Mr. Serral’s life will be held at 2 o’clock Tuesday afternoon in the sanctuary of Asbury UM Church. Friends are invited to greet the family in the fellowship hall of the church following the service.

Interment in GreeneLawn Memory Gardens will be private. The Rev. Julian Walton and the Rev. Brad Hyde will officiate.

Honorary pallbearers will be Hans Andersen, Frank Jennings, Harro Kirchoff, Sam Calvert, Nat Coleman, Wylie Milligan, Tom Austin, Bud Inman, Stan Puckett, Steve Ottinger, and special caregivers: Dr. Thomas Beckner, Dr. Mandeep Bakshi, and the nurses and staff of Laughlin Memorial Hospital and Laughlin Healthcare Center.

Doughty-Stevens Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Memorial contributions may be made to the renovation fund or the organ fund at Asbury UM Church, or to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, P.O. Box 998, Quantico, VA 22134-0998.