Dr. Fred John Starheim, 64, passed away unexpectedly on March 26, 2017. He was born on July 12, 1952 in Junction City, KS to the late Olaf and Pauline Starheim. Originally from Long Island, NY, Fred lived briefly in Florida before moving to the Akron/Canton area where he was employed with FirstEnergy for over 35 years. He attended SUNY Cobleskill (A.A.S.) followed by Stony Brook University (B.S./M.S.) and achieved his Ph.D at Kent State University in Climatology (1997). During college, Fred was a member of the Zeta Alpha Phi fraternity and the Stony Brook state champion crew team. In 1975 he married his high school sweetheart, Mary Jane Hubert, of Smithtown, NY, and together they had two children, Jason and Meredith.

Fred was an avid outdoorsman, who enjoyed fishing, hunting and boating. He was a member of the Canton McKinley, KNR, and Zeppelin gun clubs and a benefactor member of the NRA. Fred was also an officer with Toastmasters. Manager of Environmental, Energy Delivery at FirstEnergy, some of Fred's professional affiliations included the Midwest Ozone Group, Electric Power Research Institute and the Northeastern Ohio Science and Engineering Fair. He was a member of the advisory board of the College of Arts and Sciences at Kent State University, where he was a faculty member. Fred was a very generous contributor to many charitable organizations.

Fred is survived by his children, Jason (Ashley) Starheim and Meredith (Ben) Urdiales; grandchildren, Benjamin, Alex, Kyle, Kendra Urdiales, and Elizabeth Starheim; brothers, Mark (Ellie) Starheim, Diana (Werner) Starheim-Kather, Gregory (Elaine) Starheim; former wife, Mary Jane Starheim; and many nieces and nephews. Fred made his life in Tallmadge with longtime companion Sharon Staten.

Family will welcome guests on Sunday, April 2, 2017 from 11:00am - 2:00pm at Newcomer Funeral Home, 131 N. Canton Rd., Akron, with a memorial service to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests making a donation to a charity of your choice.

To share a memory of Fred, please sign the guest book below.