Don Fritz

1959-2004

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you of the passing of a former co-worker, friend, and wonderful man, Don Fritz. We lost Don on Tuesday August 24, at the age of 44. This is to help those of us who were fortunate enough to know Don, remember and hopefully smile, and for those of you who did not know him, to introduce you to him.

Don started with us back in 1996 at Jacobus. At first meeting him, you would think he was an intimidating figure because of his large size. After getting to know him, you learned that this was very far from the actual truth.

Don was assigned to support the PlantSpace Design Series product. He jumped in with both feet. He brought a work ethic seldom seen. He didn't just learn the product, he absorbed it. He became so knowledgeable of the product that analysts and developers alike would not hesitate to go to him for answers. And because of his knowledge, we knew he would have the answer for us. One thing that was also special about Don, was that no matter how simple or complex the question, Don would treat everyone the same.

He then left Bentley to go to work for Bechtel, in Hanford, Washington. He quickly established his work ethic there also and very quickly became the vital element in the Waste Treatment Project. His work ethic was almost infectious. Even though he did not work for Bentley any longer, I personally went to him often with questions, and being the person he was, he would always take the time to answer me.

In speaking to Don on an almost daily basis, we shared a lot of conversations that brought me to get to know him in a non-work environment. He loved Spiderman, and many other cartoon characters. An interest I shared with him. Many times we would spend time talking about this. It probably sounded a bit odd, two 40+ year old men having a serious discussion on what was happening on Cartoon Network that week. But that’s what made Don special. I always looked forward to seeing his number come up on my caller id, because I never knew what we would be talking about. It could be work related, cartoon related, food related, or jeep related. No matter what it was, Don showed the same passion for it.

Anyone who knew Don was also aware that he loved his food. He loved his food spicy also. I remember a friend of ours, Paul Snizek, telling me that Don had an odd habit when he was eating the spicy food, he would sweat and hiccup. He said one time that if you saw Don eating and he was sweating and hiccupping, he was a happy man. Don attended the BE conference in Orlando this year and after he returned, he called me. Not to talk about the conference so much as to tell me that he had been immortalized at Shula's Restaurant for eating a 48 oz. steak!

This is but a brief description of Don. Every once in a while we are lucky enough to know a special spirit. Don was this kind of spirit. His infectious personality was felt by all. His smile was famous as was the raised eyebrow. While he was working for us, he traveled extensively and touched so many lives. He was literally known worldwide. Paul Snizek said to me right after Don's passing that, “Everybody loved Don”. I feel that pretty much summarizes what kind of man Don was. I hope that I have brought a smile to those of us that were blessed enough to have known Don and showed others what a special man he was. I believe I speak for many of us in saying that we are better people for having had the privilege and honor of being able to share part of our lives knowing this very special man. Go with God, my friend, until we meet again.

Todd Cassell

Technical Support Analyst

Bentley Systems Inc.