William Frey of Columbus, Mississippi

February 7, 1937 - March 28, 2022

William Alton Frey died in Columbus, Mississippi on March 28, 2022 at the age of 85.  He was born in Springfield on February 7, 1937 and lived there for over 83 years.  His parents were Rudolph and Ethel Veatrice (Dye) Frey.   Bill was born roughly the middle child of a total of twelve children.  He is predeceased by ten siblings:  Hazel, Robert, Thomas, Ella, Rose Marie, Margaret, Marvin, James, John, and David.  He is survived by only his youngest sibling, Dianne.

Bill graduated from Springfield High School in 1956 and immediately enlisted in the US Navy.  He served aboard the USS Vesole and USS Basilone as a Machinist Mate 2 nd Class for 3 years and then served 2 additional years in the reserves, receiving an honorable discharge in 1962.  While not at sea in the Mediterranean, he was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia during his active service.  While on a week-end shore pass he met Marie Poole in Henderson, North Carolina.  They eloped three months later and were married in Virginia on April 11, 1959.  Bill graduated from the Springfield Police Academy in 1961 after making the minimum weight requirement to pass his physical exam by consuming massive amounts of saltines, bananas and water.  He served as a Patrolman for five years.  He then went to work at International Harvester (Navistar) as a Security Guard and later as a Fire Equipment Inspector, retiring in 1996 after 30 years of service.

Bill and Marie raised two daughters, Kathryn Frey Yeager who resides in Columbus, Mississippi and Kristine Frey Tikson (Mark) who resides in Sarasota, Florida.  Bill had two grandsons, Joseph Cox and Justin Cox and five great-grandchildren: Carter, Fletcher, Scarlett, Saylor, and Beatrice Marie , all residing in Mississippi.  His beloved Marie died in December 2015 and he has been looking forward to their reunion since that day.

Bill had exceptional handyman skills and spent years transforming his home in Springfield by remodeling and adding rooms, doing all the work himself.  He enjoyed maintaining his large backyard garden and had a deep love for animals.  His house was always full of an assortment of well-loved and cared for pets.  He had a strong work ethic and was very patriotic.  He was a great man, father, and husband and will be missed.