Chris Federmann was a big, soft-spoken guy with a huge heart, his wife said.
Federmann, a 1994 Fairfield High School graduate and Silver Star recipient, unexpectedly died on Sept. 11, said Abby Federmann by phone from their Illinois home. He was 43.
“He is the hardest-working, most driven and focused person I ever met,” she said. “Anytime he wanted to accomplish something he did.”
That included joining the Army following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, leaving a six-figure job for the military in July 2002, Abby Federmann said.
“He was so patriotic. He loved this country,” she said. “He was such a patriot.”
Federmann was born on Dec. 25, 1975 and attended Eastern Kentucky University for two years before leaving school to work for his father in Atlanta.
Before leaving for basic training, Federmann went home to visit family and friends. That’s where he met his wife, who was working as a waitress at Rick’s Tavern.
They were married on April 22, 2003, in Cincinnati.
Federmann earned his Silver Star for a June 2007 operation to capture a suspected terrorist leader in Iraq. Federmann and Sgt. 1st Class Chad Kite “heroically distinguished themselves by exceptionally valorous conduct amidst the bravery exhibited by all the soldiers participating in this battle,” according to the citation.
Federmann was very unassuming about his military career, and never boasted about earning a Purple Heart and Silver Star, Abby Federmann said.
“I’m going to let everyone know what a hero he was, and how outstanding he was,” she said.
Following his military service, and a brief stint as a government contractor, he worked as general manager at Lou Fusz Ford.
In addition to his wife, Federmann is survived by his children, Payton and Dominic; parents Edward and Elaine Federmann, of St. Louis, Mo.; and brother, Edward Federmann, of Cincinnati.
The family will have a celebration of life at the Lou Fusz Athletic complex in St. Louis, Mo. on Sept. 26. Federmann will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery with full military with full military rites.
A date for the service has not yet been released.
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