Frederick John Orrik Jr.

Capt. Frederick John Orrik, Jr., USN Ret. November 4, 1930 - August 25, 2026 Frederick (Fred) John Orrik, 95, of Limerick, PA (and formerly of Alexandria, VA) passed away peacefully surrounded by his children. He was born in Brooklyn, NY to the late Frederick John Orrik, Sr. and Aina Marie (Kujanpaa) Orrik. Fred (and Poppop to his grand and great grandchildren) was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Corrinne Joy (Coffman) Orrik, of 68 wonderful years. He was also preceded in death by his brother, Capt. David N. Orrik (USN, Ret.) and his grandson, Christopher J. Detrick. Fred is survived by his children; John Frederick (Jeff) Orrik and wife, Janet, of Winchester, MA; Lynn E. Detrick and husband, Jeff, of Westport, MA; and Victoria (Vikki) Shelor and husband, Wayne, of Limerick, PA. He is also survived by four grandchildren, Rebecca Joy Shelor, Ray Shelor, Joshua Shelor Chin and his husband, Timothy, and Parker Detrick; as well as three great grandchildren, Paxton Detrick, Leo Detrick and Evelyn Chin. Fred grew up in the Bronx where he was an avid swimmer and water polo player during his years at Clinton High School, Columbia University and early in his Navy career. While stationed near Corpus Christi, Fred met and married the love of his life, Joy Coffman Orrik in 1954 and honeymooned their way to his next duty station in California. Serving 27 years in the Navy, from Miramar to Los Alamitos to Honolulu to Kingsville to Norfolk to Lemoore to San Diego to the Pentagon, with two tours in Vietnam on the Ticonderoga and with CARDIV Nine on the Ranger. Fred was a proud Navy pilot with VF-122, VF-53, VT-21, VC-6, VC-4, VA-122 and as skipper of VA-25. Fred’s two proudest achievements as skipper of VA 25 were that the squadron set the record for most sorties while on station and that he brought back all his men alive. Following his years in the air, Fred joined the Pentagon in Tactical Warfare, on to the Naval War College (‘74) and back to the Pentagon Research and Development Department. Following his retirement in 1978, he continued to contribute to the aviation community, concluding as the Executive Director of the Association of Naval Aviators. Fred and Joy perfected the art of retirement by traveling extensively, gardening, cooking, and generously contributing to the growth and development of their grandchildren. Boundbrook Lane became the epicenter of family life across multiple generations. Fred’s kids and grandkids rode bikes in the driveway, learned to drive in the parking lot of the local high school and fed every squirrel in the neighborhood from the backyard. He had a special blueberry muffin recipe that he would bake and carry into doctor, dentist, physical therapy, and other meetings along the way, becoming affectionately known as the “Muffin Man.” Fred will be remembered as a devoted foodie, chef and gardner. He loved birds, wildlife and the starry night sky. As a lifelong learner, he soaked himself in classical music, history, science and the arts and was just as silly as he was serious, keeping his family and friends both laughing and in line. He will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery on a future date.