OBITUARY: Freddie Camano

Following a long and fulfilling life centered on family and friends, Frederick (Freddie) Donald Camano slipped away peacefully at the age of 74 on April 19, 2022. Freddie was born on August 13, 1947 to the late Alfonso (Lonnie) Camano and Lee Claflin-Camano, and he resided in Boca Grande, Florida until the Camano family moved to Sarasota in 1963.

On November 2, 1968, Freddie married Ofelia (Fifi) Galvez, whom he had met while he was a patient at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The two began an adventure-filled life together, traveling the east coast in their 1973 VW Pop-Top Camper van with their two Scottish terriers. Freddie and Fifi would also take their 1972 Oldsmobile 442 Cutlass convertible from Sarasota to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Eventually, the road trips would turn into cruises with family and friends almost every summer.

A lover of the sea, Freddie obtained his United States Coast Guard Captain’s License in 1984 and would start Camano’s Charter Fishing, where he would take clients aboard the Miss Kristina to fish for tarpon in Boca Grande Pass during season.

Freddie’s first love was family, friends, and his dogs, but he also had a love for cooking, grilling and entertaining. Freddie and Fifi were known for their legendary parties over the years, and you could count on three things when you attended one of their parties: good food, good drinks and good music. He was truly the “life of the party” with his stories from his mischievous youth on Boca Grande with his best friend, the late David Pouncey, and some of those mischievous years carried on into adulthood with his best friends, John Urciola and the late Kenny Sweetsir.

Surviving Freddie are his loving wife of 53 years, Fifi Camano; daughter Kristina Camano; sister Kim (Ron) Meinke; half-sister Lisa Camano-Hall; cousins Ray (Ann) Sullivan, Lee (Ralph) Lengacher, Eugene (Shirley) Hamilton; many nieces and nephews; and lifelong friends John Urciola (Nathalie Martin) and William (Dumplin) Wheeler.

Freddie’s remains will be spread in Boca Grande Pass on Saturday, June 4, 2022 in a private ceremony with immediate family and close friends. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at Marina Jack in Sarasota. In lieu of flowers, if you wish, the family asks that donations made to Scottish Terrier Rescue of the Southeast or Tidewell Hospice.