David B. Frey Sr.

David B. Frey, Sr., of St. Michaels, MD, a retired C. & P. Telephone Company executive and avid yachtsman and golfer, died at his home on Tuesday, April 27, 2004. He was 83. Born in Catonsville, August 22, 1920 he was the third of five children of the late Edward L. and Rita Tiemeyer Frey. He grew up in Catonsville and was a graduate of the University of Maryland with a BS in Engineering. He attended MIT and then Columbia University as a part of the USNR Midshipman School. He entered active duty with the U. S. Navy in July of 1943 and served for three years in the Amphibious Forces in the Pacific Theatre of Operations. He participated in five invasions including Iwo Jima. He served on the USS Jupiter (AP-43) and the USS Westmoreland (APA-104) as either the Navigator, Assistant Navigator or Division Officer. At various times, he crossed paths with his three other brothers and one sister who were also serving during World War II. While still in the Navy, he married the former Betty Ann Waltemeyer and they had two children. Following his release from active duty in 1946, he began his career with the C. & P Telephone Company as an engineer. He retired in 1981 as an area manager with 34 years of service. A past employee, Ella Strawser, said, “He was the best boss I ever had.” In 1956, he married the former Joan Ann Margerum. They enjoyed many adventures sailing and cruising the Chesapeake Bay and other waters here and abroad. As a seasoned sailor, he owned several yachts; all named SAGA, and was at the helm in many racing competitions. He was a member of the Annapolis Yacht Club, a Past Commodore of the Sailing Club of the Chesapeake, a member of the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association, the Cruising Sailors of St. Michaels, Talbot Country Club, Harbourtowne Country Club and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Mr. Frey, in 1981, was the founder of the Bay Hundred Youth Task Force, an organization that mentored children and raised the funds to award youth scholarships. Active in the community, he had served as a board member of the Talbot County Children’s Council, the Talbot County Parks and Recreation and the Anne Arundel General Hospital. He was also a past chairman of the American Red Cross Chapter in Anne Arundel County and a board member in Northern Baltimore County. In Washington, DC, he was a member of the Loaned Executive Club. He served on the Advancement Committee for the Boy Scouts of America in Anne Arundel County. He was also a member of the United States Navy League, both in Annapolis and Talbot County. Surviving, in addition to his wife of 47 years, Joan, are four children, Bettye Gale Bartholomay of Dulaney Valley, MD, David B. Frey, Jr. of Huntersville, N.C., Susan Frey Cloud of Dover, DE and Thomas P. Frey of Emerald Isle, N.C.; a sister, Rita Berry and two brothers, Donald T. Frey and Robert C. Frey, all of Baltimore; eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Another brother, Edward L. Frey, Jr. is deceased. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, May 1st, at 11 A.M. at Christ Church, St. Michaels, where he was a member. Inurnment will be at the Christ Church Columbarium Wall. Memorial donations may be made to the Bay Hundred Youth Task Force, P.O. Box 1273, St. Michaels, MD 21663; the Lupus Research Institute, 149 Madison Ave., Suite 205, New York, N.Y. 10016; Christ Church, P.O. Box S, St. Michaels, MD 21663 or the Talbot Hospice Foundation, 586 Cynwood Drive, Easton, MD 21601. Funeral arrangements are by the Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, P.A., Easton.