Frederick Cummings Dooe, 83, passed away peacefully on Aug. 30, 2025, in Boston.
Born in Somerville in 1942, Fred was a true Massachusetts man, living within a few square miles his entire life – from Cambridge to Arlington to Watertown, until settling in Belmont in 1990. He was of Swedish and Scottish descent and, as a child, loved spending time with extended family in Aroostook County, Maine.
Fred attended Northeastern University, majoring in political science, serving in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (ROTC), and occasionally moonlighting as a goalie for a club hockey team (where he was sometimes found napping under the net). He went on to receive a master’s in public administration and a master’s in library science from the University of Rhode Island.
As an adult, he became an avid hiker, completing all of the 4,000-foot hikes in New Hampshire and many in Maine. It was through the Appalachian Mountain Club that he met his wife, Catherine. They were married at the St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel in Storrs, Connecticut, in 1984.
He was drawn to Belmont with his wife and two young children because of his post at the Belmont Public Library. Fred ultimately retired from the library in 2019, after 47 years–one of the longest-serving town employees in Belmont history.
Affectionately known as “Papa Dooe” by many, Fred was the type to strike up a conversation with anyone, bringing warmth, genuine curiosity, and kindness to everyone he met. He was a sports fan and like many in New England, held a special place in his heart for the Boston Red Sox (and pointed out the old Boston Braves field site whenever he drove the Pike). While his daughter swam competitively, Fred served as a national-level swimming official, traveling to meets around the country. He even had the opportunity to hit the starting buzzer for Olympian Michael Phelps.
Fred enjoyed spending time with family at their home in North Conway, New Hampshire, and at his daughter’s home in Long Island, where he could often be spotted relaxing on the front porch, watching the neighborhood deer roam.
Fred was preceded in death by his mother, Olga Osell Dooe, his father, Frederick Weber Dooe, and his son Frederick “Fritz” Dooe. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Catherine Byrne, daughter Mary Dooe, son-in-law Patrick Fabics, and beloved 9-month-old grandson William (Liam) Patrick Dooe Fabics.
Services will be held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church (929 Concord Turnpike, Arlington) on Friday, Sept. 12, at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or other animal organization, St Paul’s Lutheran Church, or the Belmont Public Library.
