Fred Caywood

MADISON-Fred D. Caywood passed away on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 at the UW Hospital. Fred was born in Fowler, KS on March 27, 1940 to Virgil and Lorraine (Craig) Caywood; the fifth of six children. He lived in a number of small towns in Kansas, but he considered Herington his hometown. He graduated from Herington High School, Class of 1958. Following high school, he was in the Chicago White Sox farm team organization for a brief time. He enlisted in the US Air Force on March 3, 1959 and was stationed at Truax Field in Madison. He was honorably discharged from service on January 4, 1963 and returned to Kansas to attend college. He moved to Madison, WI for a short time later and began working at Rural Insurance. Fred moved to Green Bay, WI in 1980 for an opportunity at Employers Health Insurance (now Humana) where he met and married Kathleen Kennedy on October 24, 1981. Fred and Kathy lived in Green Bay for 14 years where they made a lot of life-long friends. Job transfers brought them back to Madison in 1994. Fred was most recently a member at Crossroads United Methodist Church in Waunakee.
Fred was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis in 1994. Fred faced this diagnosis with dignity and grace. He did take early retirement from Humana in 1996 due to the progression of the Multiple Sclerosis.
Fred was a kind and generous person. His friends were friends for life whether it was his Herington High School classmates or his many work associates, who he maintained friendships with throughout the years.
Fred was an avid golfer before his MS diagnosis. He was heard to say, "You can never have enough golf clubs or shoes." Fred continued to play golf for a short time, despite his disability, after pursuing a specialty golf cart that assisted him with standing. After he was no longer able to use the specialty golf cart, he donated it, and he became an advocate for disable golfers by contacting multiple golf courses to educate them on the availability of the specialty golf carts.
Fred loved his family, and he took pride in being a husband, father, and especially a grandfather. He is survived by his wife, Kathy; his twin sons, Scott Caywood and Craig Caywood, both of Milwaukee; his step-daughter, Bridget (Demian) Bandera of Madison; his grandchildren, Peter, Russell, Julia Sottile-Caywood; and his step-grandchildren, Xavier, Maia, Piper, and Atticus Bandera. He is further survived by his brother-in-law, Ted Evans of Supulpa, OK; sister-in-law, Kathy Caywood of Oregon; his nieces, nephews, and the Kennedy Clan. Fred is preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Robert Caywood, Clyde "Courtney" Caywood, Donald Caywood, and Richard Caywood; and his sister, LaVonne Evans.
A celebration of Fred's life will be at 2:00 PM on Saturday, September 27, 2014 at the Winn-Cress Funeral Home, 5785 Hwy Q, Waunakee, WI 53597. Friends and family will be welcomed at the funeral home from 12:00-1:45 PM on Saturday, September 27, 2014.
In place of flowers, the family would prefer donations made to the following charities that Fred supported: Salvation Army, St. Vincent DePaul, The MS Society, Wounded Warriors, any local food pantries, or a charity of your choice.
A heartfelt thank you to the physicians and nurses in the TLC & Palliative Care units at the UW Hospital. The kindness and support you provided Fred and family was remarkable. Also, a special thank you to Phil and Don for their friendship and weekly visits with Fred. The family also wishes to thank Reverend Kristen Lowe of Crossroads United Methodist Church, the Men's Group, and the Neighborhood Bible Study Group for all their prayer and support.