Dr. Fritz leaves legacy of eccentric passion
Dr. Steven Fritz had been commuting from Portland to his Salem job in a 1990 black Nissan Sentra for a long time before he decided something needed to change.
One day he told his wife, Portland city commissioner Amanda Fritz, that he was tired of driving his boring car every day.
He said he wanted to paint it "zebra" and when Amanda asked why, he said "because I don't like cows."
In the years following his decision to spray paint white stripes on the black car, Fritz's family bestowed on him zebra-theme gifts to decorate his black and white vessel and he became a familiar sight among I-5 commuters.
So familiar that when the car was in a violent crash on I-5 near the Portland Road NE exit on Sept. 24, Amanda received calls from concerned friends who recognized it. Fritz, 54, died in the crash. His passenger and coworker Cary Marie Fairchild, 64, was seriously injured and later died of her injuries.
On Friday, a large room at the Oregon State Hospital was adorned head-to-toe in zebra print, one of the many visible reminders of Fritz's cherished unconventionality that his family, friends and colleagues displayed in tribute to his life.
People wore the zebra print on ribbons pinned to their jackets, on lanyards and wall decor. Even the cookies on the refreshment table were black and white.
"He loved life. He had a good time. He found a way to have a good time, even in the I-5 commute," Amanda said.
Memorial attendees had the opportunity to learn more about Fritz from speakers and a handout about his life. He completed residency training in psychiatry at Oregon Health & Science University and worked at the Oregon State Hospital for 24 years, several of which he served as the chief medical officer. However, he opted out of administrative work to continue taking care of patients. He was a loyal participant of the annual Burning Man festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert and had a photography hobby.
He had three children with Amanda, two of which attended Friday's ceremony.
Sara Walker, chief of psychiatry at OSH, said that she learned a lot about Fritz after his passing. She was one of many at the ceremony who mentioned his eccentric wardrobe choices.
"Steve was not an outgoing person. He was a man of few words yet he always stood out in a crowd," Walker said. "He did everything he could to be as edgy as possible."
Many of Fritz's colleagues said he left a legacy of compassion and progressive thinking at the hospital. For example, he brought many of the themes lived out at Burning Man to work with him in Salem.
"He was so far ahead of our organizational culture that some of us couldn't even see the horizon he was looking at," Walker said. "We were talking about whether it was even possible when he was out there doing it."
Many described Fritz as multidimensional and even Amanda, who had been married to him since 1982, said she has continued to learn things about him. Nancy Frantz-Geddes of OSH said it was fitting, for that reason, that zebra print was Fritz's trademark.
"Zebras stand out individually, but rely heavily on community," Frantz-Geddes said. "They require unrestricted freedom in their designated communities."
In closing, OSH Superintendent Greg Roberts declared Sept. 21, Fritz's birthday, "Steven Fritz Day." It will be an annual celebration in which his family and the hospital community are invited to dress up and tell stories.
"He was the most interesting and extraordinary employee I've ever met," Roberts said. "He was the doctor we'd all want."
jdewitt@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6714 or follow on Twitter.com @Joce_DeWitt