Dr. Frederick Joseph Bachl

Dr. Frederick Joseph Bachl, 87, of Salisbury, North Carolina, died on March 15, 2026, at the North Carolina State Veterans Home.

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Fred graduated from the College of the Holy Cross and earned his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine. He served two years in the United States Army, with assignments in South Korea and at Fort Meade, Maryland. For more than thirty years, he practiced pediatrics with the Salisbury Children’s Clinic, later known as Salisbury Pediatric Associates, caring for generations of children and families in the community with dedication and gentle humor, often reminding his young patients to eat their broccoli.

A devoted member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church for over fifty years, Fred sang in the choir and found joy in the outdoors, tending his lawn and garden with meticulous care. He embraced life with creativity and laughter, performing in community theater productions as Gertrude, the “ugly stepsister” in Cinderella, and as Richard Henry Lee in Damn Yankees. He was known for his homemade blueberry pancakes and for the delight he took in playing with his grandchildren at the beach, tossing them into the waves.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Viola Bachl, and his brother, John Bachl. Fred is survived by his wife, Carol Bachl; his twin sister, Elizabeth O’Leary; his children, Carolyn Bachl (Kevin), Christopher Bachl (Cathy), Andrea Johnson (Isaac), and Kathleen Starkey (Scott); his stepchildren, Christian Stone (Barbara), Ryan Stone (Shannon), and Noelle Simmons (Andy); and fifteen grandchildren.