Frederick Wesley Backus

Frederick Wesley Backus, 79, of N. Hutchinson Island, Fl., died
peacefully in his sleep at his residence on May 23, 2006. Fred and his
wife Miriam moved to Ft. Pierce area in 1993 to be closer to the less
populated "Old Florida" that he so loved.
Fred, first generation of the pioneering Miami Backus family, was born
in Miami on Sept 17th, during the great hurricane of 1926.
The Backus family settled in Miami at the turn of the last century.
Fred's grandfather, Frederick Waterman Backus, was one of the first two
architects in Miami. Fred's mother Daisy White Backus, was a decendant
of Peregrine White, the only baby born on the Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor.Fred was a graduate of Edison High School in Miami, Florida. He then
enlisted in the Navy and served aboard the USS Juneau. Fred returned
from the service and graduated from the University of Florida in 1949.
There he became a lifetime member of Sigma Chi fraternity. After
college, he joined his father's business, Howard Backus Towing (Marine
towing) on the Miami River as a Tugboat Captain. Fred was an expert at
navigating the Miami River with large cargo vessels in tow. He took
over the family business and operated it for three decades. He was also
owner and president of Backus Corp. Fred served for years on the Miami
River Commission. He was an avid horseman and animal lover.He will be sorely missed by his family and friends. He is survived by
his devoted wife, Miriam Valls Backus, daughter and son-in-law, Dr.
Anita Backus Chang and Michael Chang, new baby grandson, Wesley McCarty
Chang, of Mountain View, CA, step-daughter Cheri Crossgrove, of Dallas
TX. nieces, Carolyn Kunz Alvarez, Elizabeth Kunz Walker of Orlando, FL,
and nephew, Paul Kunz of West Palm Beach, FL. He is preceded in death by
his first wife, Angela McCarthy Backus, and his son, Frederick Waterman
Backus II.In lieu of flowers a contribution may be made to Hospice of the Treasure Coast, 1201 SE Indian Street, Stuart, FL 34997.