Richard M. Frye ’49 died on December 18, 2021, in Concord, New Hampshire.
(The following was provided by the Concord Monitor on March 14, 2022)
Concord, NH — Richard “Dick” Mervyn Frye passed away Saturday, December 18th, 2021, age 93. He was a humble, loving and caring man of integrity, grit and wit, who determinedly followed the beat of his own drum throughout life; always up to something, even in his final days. He loved learning, particularly about science, history, genealogy, philosophy and current issues. He had a penchant for creating too: novels, sculptures, paintings, parade pieces, even a stone garage that he built at the family camp.
Born in Quincy, Massachusetts on March 14, 1928, the son of E. Mervyn Frye and Helen Harthorn (Turner) Frye. He lived in Melrose, MA, during the 1940s and 50s, in Missouri and Iowa during the 60s, and New Hampshire from 1968 on. His favorite place was the family cottage purchased in 1941 on Lake Winnipesaukee in Tuftonboro, NH. His enduring love for the family camp was reflected in the countless hours he spent there. His wooden sailboat named “Bear” that he and his father patched into seaworthiness and for which his mother made a sail was fondly remembered as were numerous boating trips around the lake with cousins and friends – so many adventures and memories.
Graduating with a B.A. from Bowdoin College in 1949, and from Boston University in 1956 with a M.A. in economics, he worked as an engineering technician at General Electric in Lynn, MA, and as a college instructor at Emerson College in Boston before he started traveling across the country. Richard met his future wife, Mallerd Marten (Maune) Frye, in St. Joseph, Missouri where he was the YMCA’s social director. They started their family in Iowa, moving to Concord in 1968 where Richard worked at the State of New Hampshire Department of Employment Security, first as a labor market analyst and then as an economist.
During his fifty-three years as a Concord resident he was active with his son’s Boy Scout Troop #86, Conant School PTA as co-president, and his children’s swim teams in Concord and Wolfeboro. His retirement found him involved with: NH Historical Society, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) Concord Chapter, Tuftonboro Historical Society, Mirror Lake Church, and others. His writings included: letters to the editor, short novels, and multiple historical essays including the “History of the Mirror Lake Church.”
He was predeceased by his wife of forty-six years in 2008. He is survived by: his sister, Virginia “Ginny” (Frye) Elliott of East Burke, Vermont; his son, Douglas M. Frye, and wife Leah (Simmons) Frye and their children, Michael R. Frye and Emma C. Frye, of Alexandria, VA; his daughter, Diana M. Frye, and husband Sam D. Jones and their daughter, Morgan J.M. Jones, of Portsmouth, NH.