Obituary of Frederick C. Birks

Obituary for Frederick C Birks. 1950-2024

Frederick Christian Birks, 74, of Oakland, NJ passed away peacefully in his home on February 28, 2024. In his final days he was surrounded by his family, who he loved and cherished with all his heart. He was an amazing and devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend who will be dearly missed by all.

Fred grew up in Brooklyn, NY, along with his three sisters. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the US Army and quickly rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant. He served during the Vietnam era for 7 years, and was stationed in Illesheim, Germany.  Upon returning to NYC, he earned his degree in Electrical Engineering at NYIT and at the same time welcomed his beloved three sons into the world.

Fred found a challenging and exciting career in TV Engineering and worked in NYC for various production and post-production facilities.  While employed at VCA Teletronics, he met and fell in love with his wife Nancy Markim.  They both assisted technologically in launching MTV on air in 1981 and had a blast meeting so many musical artists. Fred also enjoyed working on many well-known tv shows as Engineer-in-Charge.

Fred and Nancy then moved to Oakland, NJ where they found a sense of community, built a loving home, and proudly welcomed the births of their two daughters. When Fred became disabled, he found a renewed sense of purpose in Volunteer work as co-founder and President of the Oakland TV Committee. Utilizing his expertise, he rebuilt the local access channel tv studio and spent 20 years training and mentoring other volunteers in tv production.

Fred’s greatest love and passion was his beautiful family. He led by example and instilled in his children the values of integrity, strength, resilience, honesty and hard work. He adored his wife and shared his love of his nuclear family as well as his extended Markim family. He loved traveling, good food, music, and swimming. He had a knack for fixing things and loved to take things apart and figure out how they work. Fred had a great sense of humor and a unique ability to connect with and earn the admiration of children and animals.

Fred is survived by his wife of 44 years Nancy, his sons Frederick, Thomas (Jen), Sean, daughters Jessica (David) and Julie (Kenneth). His children meant the world to him and he truly cherished being a Papa. He was a proud grandfather to: Cassidy, Brandon, Haley, Shayne, Logan, Decklyn, and Mackenzie. He also leaves behind his dear sister, Irene, his Mother-in-law Sondra, Brothers-in-law Daniel (Sue), Gary (Nancy), Sisters-in-law Nina (John), Carla (Gregg), and many nieces and nephews.

In honor of Fred, the family asks that you spend time with your loved ones, share and laugh together, and cherish each day of life. In lieu of flowers, the family would greatly appreciate donations in Fred’s name to either St. Jude Children’s Hospital or Doctors Without Borders.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday March 9^th from 1-3pm at Oakland Memorial Home. His memory will live on in the hearts of all who loved him.