Paul E. Frey

Paul Edward Frey was born on December 12, 1935 in Cleveland, Ohio, the only child of Victor Frey and Verna (Juliette) Frey. Early in Paul's life, the family moved to Richmond Heights, Missouri, where he spent his childhood and young adulthood. On April 27, 1963, Paul married Jessie Joyce McCain of Barnhart, Missouri. Paul and Joyce were blessed with one child, Bryan Matthew. 

Paul graduated from St. Louis University and spent his entire professional career as a civil servant with the Defense Mapping Agency (later known as the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency). His career spanned nearly four decades with positions in St. Louis, Missouri, Los Angeles, California, and Washington, D.C. His work with the Defense Mapping Agency included the deployment of satellites in the late 1970s that served as the foundation for the program that would become the Global Positioning System (GPS) that is used by millions of people worldwide today. 

Paul retired from federal government service in 1993, and he moved with Joyce to western Kentucky where they enjoyed lakeside living, boating, and frequent visits by their family and friends. He loved hosting an annual summertime “Jamboree” for his son, his friends, and their families; later, he would spend months planning elaborate pirate-themed treasure hunts for his young grandchildren. He called their property "Eagle's Rest" because of the bald eagles that visited the lake every winter. In 2016, Paul and Joyce moved back to the Washington, D.C. area to be closer to their son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren and settled at the Riderwood Senior Community in Silver Spring, Maryland.

 Paul was an avid model railroader, accomplished fisherman, longtime speed skater, and a skilled handyman and woodworker. Although he grew up in the city, he loved the outdoors. As a young man, he spent his free time exploring caves and roughing it in the wilderness near his rustic cabin outside Marquand, Missouri. As a father, he immersed himself in activities that allowed him to stay actively engaged in his son's life; he was a soccer coach, a Little League baseball coach, a basketball coach, and a Scoutmaster of Troop 30 in Potomac, Maryland. 

Paul was a man of faith who actively contributed to Catholic parishes wherever he called home, including Little Flower Catholic Church in Richmond Heights, Missouri; Holy Trinity Catholic Church in San Pedro, California; St. Bartholomew's Catholic Church in Bethesda, Maryland; St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Grand Rivers, Kentucky; and the Catholic Community of Riderwood in Silver Spring, Maryland. 

Paul is survived by Joyce, his wife of nearly 63 years, his son Bryan, daughter-in-law Juli, his beloved grandchildren Maya and Zander, and many cherished nieces and nephews. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made in Paul's memory to the Riderwood Scholarship Fund that supports student employees in their pursuit of post-secondary education. Please make checks payable to Riderwood with "Scholarship Fund in Memory of Paul Frey" in the memo field and send to 3110 Gracefield Road, Silver Spring MD, 20904.