Tributes

Karl A. Frey, loving husband, father and grandfather passed away on June 3, 2025, at his home in Ardmore, PA at the age of 86. He was born in Kingston, Nova Scotia, Canada to German immigrants William K. Frey and Hedwig Dutton on August 2, 1938. He grew up on a farm with his younger brother William (“Billy”) E. Frey. He lost his mother at age 8 to scarlet fever. His father eventually remarried Kunigunde (“Kuni”) Gaiser and the family, along with stepbrother Ernest (“Ernie”) Gaiser, moved to Roslindale, MA in 1948. When he was 14 he won a “major award” from school in the amount of 5 dollars for “kind and good manners.” This kindness was a quality that shone through in every aspect of Karl’s life and shaped who he was as a person. Karl began his education in a two-room schoolhouse in rural Canada, attended Boston Technical High School and graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University. He received 4 patents in his professional work as an electrical engineer and retired from Digital Equipment Corp. in 1999. His career, which began at the dawn of the computer age, proved to have a major influence on the development of magnetic storage and the information technology industry. When he was 30 years old, he joined a ski club in Vermont. It was on a ski trip where he met Rita Finkelman, his wife of 55 years. Returning to Boston from their initial meeting, Karl and Rita got stuck in a snowstorm and had to spend the night on the floor of a Howard Johnsons Restaurant. They married on April 5, 1970, and started their life together in Melrose, MA. They welcomed daughter Sheryl in 1973. Karl enjoyed all manner of home improvement projects. He was a master carpenter, building furniture for their home and eventually for daughter Sheryl and son-in-law Eric Rothman. He enjoyed the challenge of fixing something that was broken and could handle any plumbing or electrical problem. He was always willing to lend a helping hand to friends and neighbors. Cars were another love of Karl's. He enjoyed working on his 1963 Jaguar XKE and he dreamed of being a race car driver. He loved to watch Formula One. He enjoyed listening to classical music and was always quick with a joke, pun, or story. Travelling to Sanibel Island, Florida was an annual tradition which began with Karl, Rita and Sheryl and then later expanded to include granddaughters Sophia and Elizabeth. During these memorable vacations they enjoyed swimming, searching for shells on the beach, looking for wildlife in the local nature preserve, and watching the sun dip into the ocean. Karl's favorite part might have been naps in the shade on the beach. Karl and Rita moved to Ardmore, PA in October 2016 to be closer to family where they met a whole new group of friends and neighbors. Karl and Rita loved their new surroundings. A memorial service will be held at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church at 625 Montgomery Avenue, Bryn Mawr PA, on Monday June 16th at 11:30 AM to celebrate the life of this remarkable man. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Karl's memory to Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice (giving.mainlinehealth.org).

Tributes

Karl A. Frey

August 2, 1938 - June 3, 2025