Frederick Henry Radach, age 83, passed away peacefully on June 12, 2017 at Iowa Methodist Medical Center with his family at his side.Fred was the second of two boys (older brother Wilbur Radach married to Arlene) born on the family farm on August 19, 1933, outside of Lamberton, Minnesota. At the age of 10 or 11, while out driving the tractor, two P-51 fighter planes flew overhead. Fred stopped the tractor, watched until they disappeared from view, and said to himself, "that's what I am going to do." Not many people get to live out their boyhood dreams, but Fred did. After a successful basketball career at Lamberton High School, Fred attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN where he joined the Air Force ROTC and graduated with an Economics degree. After graduation, Fred joined the Air Force, learned to fly, and became a fighter pilot. Fred spent time in Arizona and Texas learning to fly jets before serving for 6 years at Ethan Allen Air Force Base in Burlington, Vermont. After leaving active duty, Fred searched for a place he could keep flying. A fellow pilot friend told Fred that he might find such a place in Des Moines, Iowa with the Iowa Air National Guard. That was all Fred needed to know. Fred moved to Des Moines, joined the Air Guard, and flew his beloved jets for 14 more years.Fred also found employment, and love, in Des Moines. Fred worked loyally as an executive for National Travelers Life for 27 years. Along the way, right there in the secretarial pool, Fred met, fell in love with, and married Penny Larson. Fred and Penny started their 48 years of marriage living on the south side of Des Moines, where they raised their two children, Heather Lynn and Brandon Keith. They welcomed the addition of Heather and Brandon's spouses, Brian Spang and Gretchen Peveich, as well as four grandchildren: Alexandra Lynn and Paul Edward Spang; and Max Frederick and Roman Radach. Fred was an avid and successful tennis player and, in later years, an avid golfer. Fred's life with Penny and family has always been surrounded by faithful and loyal friends too numerous to mention by name here. "Babe," he told Penny after being diagnosed nearly three years ago with multiple myeloma, "we'll just take what comes and deal with it." Fred was a good and honorable man, a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, a great friend to many, and an inspiration to us all. Family will receive visitors from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 15th at Dunn's Funeral Home, 2121 Grand Avenue, Des Moines. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, June 16th at St. John's Lutheran Church, 600 6th Avenue, Des Moines followed by a 12:30 p.m. committal service at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Planned Parenthood of Central Iowa or DMARC Food Pantry.