William E. Brey

William E. Brey, of Easton, died at the Talbot Hospice House, Easton, on Thursday, January 9, 2003. He was 75. Born in Woonsocket, RI on February 27, 1927, he was the son of the late George E. and Ruth Schneider Brey. After graduating from Woonsocket High School in 1944, he served in the U. S. Army in the European Theatre of Operations from 1945 until 1947. Following his release from active duty, he attended the University of Rhode Island where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology in 1950. He was then associated with the U. S. Department of the Interior, working as a Biologist in their laboratory on the Narragansett Bay. At the time of the close of that laboratory in 1957, he transferred to the Department of Commerce and moved to Annapolis where he worked as a shellfish statistician at their laboratories in Annapolis and then Oxford. He retired in 1993 as a Fisheries Statistics Supervisor. He also worked for twelve years at the Easton radio station, WCEI, as a disc jockey. A resident of Easton since 1960, he was a very active member of Christ Church, Easton, where he was a former Vestryman, Registrar for the Vestry for twelve years and served as the sound technician for the church and the radio station. He was also a member of Talbot Post #70, American Legion. An avid fan of big band and swing music and its history, he also enjoyed camping, bus trips and traveling, particularly the East Coast of the United States and Canada. Mr. Brey is survived by his wife, the former Grace Wilcox whom he married May 30, 1952 in Woonsocket, RI; a daughter, Carolyn L. Howell of Preston; a son, Warren E. Brey of Preston and four grandchildren, Heather R. Howell, Ryan L. Howell, Elise K. Bryant and Cassandra G. Brey. Funeral services will be held on Monday, January 13th, at 11 A. M. at Christ Church, Easton. Burial at the Maryland Veterans Cemetery, Eastern Shore, will be private. Friends may call at the Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, P.A., Easton, on Sunday, January 12th, from 2 – 4 P.M. Memorial donations may be made to the Talbot Hospice Foundation, 586 Cynwood Drive, Easton or to Christ Church Memorial Fund, 111 South Harrison St., Easton, MD 21601.