Fred was born August 29, 1942, in Erie, Pennsylvania, where many of his family still reside.

Fred was a well-respected scientist, who early in his career, was invited by Johnson & Johnson, Inc., and Becton Dickenson to bring his talents to New Jersey. His unique combination of expertise ultimately lead him to create and preside over his highly successful Kemary Consulting Group, based in Princeton Junction. Over the years, Fred's Kemary Group won national recognition as a premier provider of product marketing risk assessment and expert witness testimony, particularly in the area of medical device failure.

Fred graduated from Ohio State University in 1968 with a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, an M.S. in Chemistry, and the honor of being an Evans Scholar, recipient of a Teaching Fellowship in Physical Chemistry and Laboratory Technique. Dr. Hetzel was a proud recipient of the Evans Foundation Scholarship.

In 1973, Fred settled in the Princeton area with his wife Marianne, and in a home filled with toys, books, dogs, Irish culture, and plenty of loving, they raised their three children. Fred was loved and respected by a wide circle of family and friends extending from Erie, Pa., to Princeton, Washington, D.C., and a variety of places across the country, where colleagues had quickly become friends. He and Marianne were planning the forthcoming celebration of their fiftieth wedding anniversary in October 2015.

Surviving are his wife Marianne, two sons Frederick M. Hetzel and wife Toni of Atlanta, Ga. and Kevin T. Hetzel and wife Corlynn Hullfish of Medford, N.J. and a daughter Mollie Hetzel and Patrick Edward O'donell of Harvey Cedars, N.J. Fred is survived by a grandson Hogan and four granddaughters, Taylor, Rae, Cecilia, Lila.

Visitation will be Friday, December 5th from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Barlow & Zimmer Funeral Home, 202 Stockton Street, Hightstown, N.J. Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 6th, at St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church, 251 Franklin Street, Hightstown, N.J. Condolences for the family may be left at barlowandzimmer.com.