Alfred Castle Doering

July 7, 1945 – November 16, 2020

Fred Doering, beloved husband and father, died peacefully at home on November 16, 2020. He had been diagnosed in early July with an aggressive form of glioblastoma, which relentlessly robbed him of the things he loved most.

Fred is survived by his wife of 16 years, Sarah, of Malibu, California, and her children, Amy Finocchio, Leigh Finocchio and Amanda Levy (Anthony), and their daughters, Charlie and Zoe.

Fred is also survived by his children, Jonathan Doering (Sara), their children, Brendan, Connor and Ciara, and Christen Doering Boone and her children, Lindsey and Atlee.

Fred was born in Chicago on July 7,1945, to Caroline Castle Doering and Edmund Janes Doering II. He attended the Chicago Latin School, the Lake Forest Country Day School, The Choate School and Harvard University, with a BA in economics.

He went on to earn a master’s degree in communications from Northwestern University. He worked in the family business, Castle Metals, for 24 years, then eventually started his own company, Fred Doering Associates.

Fred and Sarah grew up together in Lake Forest, Illinois. Sarah had a crush on the unsuspecting Fred for years. They went their separate ways and were reunited at a family funeral decades later. Flurries of emails and visits back and forth resulted in a joyous wedding in 2004, which was attended by many of the same Lake Forest friends whom they had known as children.

His love of travel extended to musical adventures. He sang concerts with Berkshire Choral International in Prague, Budapest and Vienna. With the Choir of St. Matthew’s Parish, he participated in tours of Eastern and Central Europe and the U.K. and choral residencies in Winchester and Durham, England.

Fred believed very strongly about giving back to his community. He served on various nonprofit boards such as the St Matthew’s Music Guild, Bay Area Rehabilitation Center, Berkshire Choral International and Music of the Baroque in Chicago.

There will be a private service at St Matthew’s Episcopal Church on January 9.

According to Fred’s wishes, the Music Guild Board has established the Alfred Doering Fund for New Music, which will be used for commissioning and performing works by deserving composers.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to the fund, visit musicguildonline.org/Fred.