Fred Reno Ager was born to Louise (Karlson) and Reno Ager on April 2, 1942 in Deadwood, South Dakota.  He claims to be a man that carried two birth certificates. One states that he was born on April 4, 1942 with the name Fred. The other was written on April 2, 1942 with the name Paul. His mother Louise discovered the error and tried to fix the birth certificate, but only got the name corrected.

Fred's life began colorfully and continued throughout his entire life. He was the third of twelve children, four brothers and seven sisters. He is survived by his spouse, Arlene (Garduna) Ager; two children, Linda (Bill) Coyle and Jeff Ager; grandchildren, Luke Coyle, Jeryann Sanders, Jynna (Chad) Bartscher and Hollie (Sterling) Denton; great grandchildren, Peyton, Lukas, Rhyann, Marette and Leo; siblings, Dave, Nadine, Carol, Rose, Nancy and Catherine. Fred was preceded in death by his parents; and siblings, John, Harry, Mac, Shirley and Bev; and his wife, Wanda (Rauth).

He spent his adolescent years working at a salvage yard on the corner of highway 34 and 85. When he wasn't in school, he loaded iron on to rail cars by hand with his brothers, Dave and John. With his brothers, he would hunt small game for fun and sold the pelts for money. His first job was at the age of 14 working on a farm outside of Nisland for $4 per day. When he was 16, he ran away from home with Dave and John. His two brothers eventually went back home, but Fred never went back. He said that he slept under bridges and worked odd jobs to support himself. Fred left high school and enrolled into mechanic school in Kansas City, Missouri in the 1960's. After he graduated mechanic school he came back to the Belle Fourche area and helped build the Colony Truck Stop in Colony, Wyoming. He worked 12-hour days for about a year and then managed Patron's Oil in Belle Fourche for 18 years. He married Wanda Rauth in 1963 and had two children, Linda and Jeff. He bought his father's Iron Place in 1979. He graduated Auctioneer School in Billings, Montana in 1983 he then serviced the Black Hills and surrounding area with his auctioneering and real estate services for 25 years. In 1984 he and his wife Wanda bought a ranch in Aladdin, Wy where they resided until 1994. In the Early 90's Fred managed the CO-OP in Hulett, WY and worked as a Ford salesman. To stay busy in retirement, Fred enjoyed collecting and selling antiques, refinishing furniture, fishing and hunting. He was an avid Poker and all-around card player with a brain like a calculator. Many of these leisure activities were spent with his lifelong friend Gerald Bunney. Fred was known for his endless stories which usually ended with a humorous way.

He was surrounded by love and family on the day of his passing, April 16, 2023. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 am, Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the Christian Life Center in Belle Fourche.