Frederick Henry Borcherts

Frederick H. Borcherts, age 80, a longtime resident of Northville, passed away March 17, 2019. He was born on November 7, 1938 in Mount Vernon, New York; son of Herman and Agnes (nee Weihsenberg) Borcherts. He graduated from Redford High School in Redford, MI; Class of 1956.  Fred was united in marriage to Claudia A. Zaremba on July 3, 1966; they spent 52 loving years together as husband and wife.

Fred proudly served his country with the United States Navy.  He loved to fly and was stationed on an aircraft carrier as a mechanic.  Often when the ship would port, he was enlisted to drive the Admiral because he knew so much about cars.  He worked as a Quality Control Manager at Cadillac Motor Car in Detroit for 38 years.  Following his retirement in 1999 he continued as a contract employee with GM Truck and Bus for another 6 years.  One of the highlights of his career was working on the quality control for the presidential cars of both Bush and Clinton.

Fred was a member of First United Methodist Church of Northville.  He was also a member of Cadillac LaSalle Club, TCA Train Association, Elks of Newberry, Ducks Unlimited, Birch Shores Trout Lake Association, and Connemara Hills Association, where he served as President for 17 years.  Fred loved spending time up north at the redwood cabin his father built on Trout Lake in the UP in the late 1950’s.  He built an addition in 1999 that added more space to the cabin with a children’s bunk house allowing for more family and friends to visit.  He was a true outdoorsman and enjoyed boating, golfing, skiing, snowmobiling, and riding his 4-wheeler.  He was an avid hunter and fisherman and took many fishing trips with friends to Lake Simcoe, Canada.  Fred had an impressive Lionel model train collection; he would set up sprawling train village scenes in the basement and around the Christmas tree. He attended many train shows with his kids teaching them art of trading and selling. Fred could build and fix anything! His talents included plumbing, electrical, HVAC, drywall, 7 kitchen remodels, the list goes on.  If he couldn’t find a part he needed to fix something, he would make it.  His true gift however was diagnosing and repairing car problems, especially Cadillacs.  Known as the “Car Doctor,” he knew how to fix any car issue and was always happy to share the knowledge with anyone who needed it. If you had a man stop on the side of the road and offer free roadside assistance, then got you up and running with a “MacGyver” like gerry rigging, it was Fred. He couldn’t have had that much talent without owning 223 automobiles throughout his lifetime.

Fred is survived by his beloved wife, Claudia A. Borcherts; his children, Kirt (Susie) Borcherts and Kelly (Derek) Poppink; his siblings, Carol Borcherts and Dr. Robert (Holde) Borcherts; his grandchildren, Nolan, Josh, Allie, Elliot, Alex, Joe, and Courtney; and several nieces.

Visitation will be held Friday, March 22, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Casterline Funeral Home, 122 W. Dunlap, Northville.  A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, March 23, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. with a time of gathering beginning at 10:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 777 W. 8 Mile Rd., Northville.  Rev. Douglas W. Vernon will officiate the service.

In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate memorial contributions to Angela Hospice Home Care 14100 Newburgh Rd., Livonia, MI 48154-5010 Tel:734-464-7810 Toll Free: 866-464-7810 or Pancreatic Cancer Action Network 1500 Rosecrans Ave., Ste 200 Manhattan Beach, California 90266