[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 26 (Thursday, February 11, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E128-E129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              IN RECOGNITION OF THE PASSING OF FRED SPACE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSH GOTTHEIMER

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 11, 2021

  Mr. GOTTHEIMER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a 
fixture in our northern New Jersey community, Fred Space. Fred was born 
in Beemerville, a community where he lived in, raised his family, and 
dedicated himself to improving throughout his entire life.
  As the second-generation owner and zookeeper of Space Farms Zoo & 
Museum, and a 77-year member of the Beemerville Fire Department, Fred's 
commitment to his community was legendary to those who knew him. As 
part of his more than seven-decade career with the Beemerville Fire 
Department, Fred served as Fire Chief from 1951 to 1953. He was also a 
founding member of the Kittatinny Recreation Association, which would 
go on to become the Sussex County Chamber of Commerce. An avid 
outdoorsman, Fred translated his love of hunting, fishing, and trapping 
into the Beemerville Hunting Club, as its founding member. He continued 
his passion for the outdoors by becoming a Lifetime Member of the 
Sussex County Board of Agriculture, serving as its President. He was 
Director of the NJ Farm Bureau and served on the New Jersey

[[Page E129]]

Fish and Game Council from 1963 to 1971, including a three-year stint 
as Chairman from 1969 to 1971.
  Fred's remarkable legacy will live on in the business he helped grow, 
and which bears his family name. For three generations now, Space Farms 
Zoo and Museum has been a wonderful attraction here in our community. 
Fred loved working with the animals at the zoo, from the famous Kodiak 
bear named Goliath, with whom he shared a particular bond; or the 16-
foot-long, 250-pound python, with whom he had an infamous run-in. There 
was nothing that could dissuade Fred from his hands-on work at the zoo.
  Fred was a loving husband to Mira for 46 years, and proud father of 
Parker, Eric, Lori, and Renee. Fred's devotion to community engagement 
and love for the outdoors will continue on through his beloved nine 
grandchildren and twenty-one grandchildren.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Fred 
Space's extraordinary life, his service to our community, and the 
legacy he leaves behind.

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