Fred Chindahl was ‘well liked’ by everybody

Fred and Phyllis Chindahl spent most of their life together serving those who lived in the Spokane Valley.

To many, Fred was simply the nice man in the bow tie who managed the Greenacres Pharmacy while Phyllis filled the prescriptions for more than 40 years. To others, he was a devoted volunteer and a neighbor who was always quick to help out.

“He would do anything for you,” said Denise Kirby. “He was a great neighbor.”

The Chindahls more or less adopted Kirby when she moved in next door in Trentwood, then a single mom expecting a baby, she said.

If her lawnmower broke, Fred would take care of it. If the car broke down, they would loan her theirs.

“Everything he owned was in impeccable shape,” Kirby said, and Chindahl was happy to share his mechanical skills whenever she needed help.

Fred Chindahl died Nov. 1 at 84.

Phyllis Chindahl died three years earlier.

“They spent every waking and sleeping minute together,” Kirby said.

They often worked long hours, six days a week, friends said.

While they still ran the store, Kirby said, “I was going to work at 6 in the morning and they’d be gone.”

Pictures above the counter at Greenacres Dry Cleaners show a bustling strip of stores some 50 years ago. The pharmacy is two doors over from the cleaners.

“He was a good fellow and he run a good business,” said Elda Martin, whose family has owned the cleaners since 1951.

When bigger pharmacies moved into the area, the Chindahls worked even harder to stay in business. They later expanded to include the liquor franchise in Greenacres.

“He was really a wonderful guy,” said Keith Peterson, who took over the franchise after they retired in 1987.

He didn’t just hand over the keys, though. Fred Chindahl introduced Peterson to his new customers, gave him advice on running the store and checked in to see how he was doing. They talked regularly about how things were going ever since, Peterson said.

During their time outside of work, the Chindahls enjoyed gardening and dancing, and neighbors say they kept a spotless yard.

Fred Chindahl was a tournament-class bowler, a Meals on Wheels volunteer and a member of the Eagles and the Elks.

“He was one of those quiet guys, but when he walked in the office I always got a hug,” said Phyllis Porter, lodge secretary at the Elks in Spokane Valley.

“Fred was very dedicated,” she said.

He was the Americanism chairman and helped organize patriotic activities.

“The thing that he was really most dedicated to was the Boy Scouts,” Porter said.

Fred oversaw the Eagle Scout Court of Honor, presenting an American flag flown above the nation’s capitol to each Scout as he earned the highest accolade of Boy Scouting.

He was also a veteran. During World War II he served in the Coast Guard, charged with protecting the homeland from his post in Puget Sound.

He married Phyllis Smiley in 1945.

Both grew up in Spokane Valley. Fred Chindahl was raised near where the Old European Restaurant sits today near Sprague and Bowdish, and his wife grew up in a neighborhood north of Trent where they would later build their home together.

They were married for 57 years and did not have children. Fred Chindahl earned an accounting degree from Gonzaga University and Phyllis Chindahl held a degree in pharmacology.

“Everybody always knew their pharmacist those days,” said family friend Rita Hansen.

“(Fred) was well liked by everybody.”