Melvin Frederick (Fred) Sledd

Melvin Frederick (Fred) Sledd, loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, friend and mentor died after a long illness at the age of 83 on November 5, 2025. Fred was born to the late Henry Melvin and Mary Katherine (Sutton) Sledd in Paducah, KY, on January 17, 1942. The oldest of three sons, he was raised on the banks of the Mississippi River in Hickman, KY, where he tended to the cattle of his grandparents Norman and Mattie (Terrett) Sutton. He graduated from Fulton County High School in 1960 and enrolled at Paducah Junior College. While completing his Associate of Math and Science, Fred worked as a stock clerk for a local grocer and then as a metallurgical laborer. In 1962, he relocated to Starkville, MS, to attend Mississippi State University where in 1965 he earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology. He promptly entered Naval Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI, and later that year was commissioned an Ensign in the US Navy. He served as Deck Division Officer and Weapons Officer on board the USS Francis Marion out of Norfolk, VA, for three years in support of the Vietnam War. In 1968, he completed his active-duty commission and transferred to Evansville, IN, where he began a forty-year career in sales, working first as an assistant sales engineer. It was also in Evansville that he met the love of his life, Janet Louise Altstadt. Fred and Janet were married on January 20, 1973 in Evansville and made their first home together in Fort Wayne, IN, where they went on to welcome a daughter and a son. The family later relocated to Cleveland, OH, and eventually Atlanta, GA, as Fred diligently rose to become a corporate sales leader for global industrial equipment manufacturers and service providers and continued to serve in the US Navy Reserve. In 1991, he retired from the USNR as a captain and commander of the Atlanta Navy Reserve Readiness Center. In 2003, Fred launched his own international wholesale power supply business from which he eventually retired due to the progression of his illness. He was a lifetime member of the Naval Reserve Association, accompanied Janet to weekly mass at Holy Family Catholic Church in Marietta, GA, and supported the parish though thirty years of volunteerism. He could be found in the evenings cheering for his children and working the grill at Sibley Forest swim meets or directing ticket sales at Marist football games. He worked hard and laughed often. Fred is survived by Janet, his adoring wife of 52 years, his children Jennifer (Adamo Cavagnoli) and Michael (Parry Creedon), his six grandchildren, and his brother Dennis. All family and friends are invited to attend a graveside service where Fred will be laid to rest with military honors at the Western Kentucky Veterans Cemetery in Hopkinsville (one hour north of Nashville) on April 3, 2026 at 11 AM CST. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Wounded Warrior Project in his honor.

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