Fredrick Roger Pfister, 75
Fredrick Roger Pfister, 75, of Branson, died Feb. 26, 2021, at Cox South Hospital in Springfield after a long illness and recent surgery. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, a celebration of his life will be held later when friends and relatives can safely congregate.
He was born Jan. 7, 1946, in Houston, Missouri, the fifth of the six sons of Rolla and Jean Pfister.
He attended a one-room elementary schoolhouse in Texas County and graduated from Houston High School in 1963. He began a life dedicated to writing, speaking and teaching as a college student at School of the Ozarks, graduating in 1968. From there he went to the University of Arkansas, where he received a master’s degree in 1969.
He returned to the Ozarks and taught English and speech at Gainesville. In 1971, he became a professor at a local college and simultaneously completed a doctoral degree in English literature at the University of Mississippi in 1976.
Dr. Pfister was loved by students and faculty alike. Many students have recently remembered him in social media posts such as, “He helped inspire me to write for a living,” “(He had) a brilliant mind, a tender heart and a savage sense of humor,” and “I was lucky to be his friend.” Others recalled how he would begin each class by mentioning a historical event that happened on that particular day. Still others remembered his sports jackets with leather elbow patches, the aroma of pipe smoke, his deep voice and the way he remembered each student by name and always greeted them.
Outside the classroom, he had many interests, including provoking friends with Facebook postings and enjoying his spouse’s cooking. “Wifey Faye” was often the subject of his many social media posts—what she cooked, where they traveled, what they watched on TV and how she meant more to him than anything on earth.
Always interested in the environment, Dr. Pfister loved beekeeping and floating the Ozarks’ many creeks and streams. He was a devoted composter and gardener – and one of the first people in town to buy a Prius.
He was the author of “The Littlest Baby,” a guidebook for parents of premature infants based on the birth of his daughter Falecia, who was born at 1 pound, 8 ounces. He also edited the “The Ozarks Mountaineer” magazine for a number of years, was a supporter of the Taneyhills Library and was a popular speaker for clubs and conventions. His talks on “weather windys,” Ozark place names and his one-man depiction of author Walt Whitman for the Missouri Humanities Council were just some of Dr. Pfister’s many chances to bring his talents to life.
He was a great storyteller but always willing to listen; he was intelligent but humble about his beautiful mind. He was someone who always made the person he was listening to feel like no one else was more important to him at that particular moment—and at that particular moment, that was the truth.
A staunch Democrat, he was an avid member of the Common Sense Society and a founding member of the Friday Afternoon Round Table Society (note the initials of this group). He loved good movies, good art, good music, good writers (in particular, C. S. Lewis,) good friends, good food and good tax-free whiskey picked up on his and Faye’s many travels abroad, including a 49th anniversary Viking Cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland.
Although ill health and the threat of contracting covid had kept him inside for much of the past year, he was not someone that anyone who knew him could or will forget. No one would want to.
He is survived by Faye Coonts Pfister, his wife of 53 years; brothers James Pfister and wife Myrna of Summerfield, South Carolina, David Pfister and wife Joyce of Kissee Mills, and Jerome Pfister of Raymondville; and a host of relatives and good friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved daughter, Falecia, who died in 2013; and his brothers Robert Pfister and wife Mabel, and Dennis Pfister and wife Patricia.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Taneyhills Library, 200 S. 4th St., Branson, MO 65616, or to the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, 205 Woodson Bend Road, Branson, MO 65616.
Snapp-Beardon Funeral Home, Branson, directors.