Pauline Lucille “Lucy” Frey, daughter of Albert and Gladys (Maxvill) Frey, was born on August 1, 1932, near Huggins, Missouri. She died January 25, 2020, at Springfield Villa, Springfield, Missouri, after a long illness.
Lucy grew up in the Huggins area and attended Oak Grove, Number One (Ballard), and Long Valley elementary schools. During the summer after she finished high school at Houston, she earned 19 credits at what was then Southwest Missouri State College. And just a few days after her 17th birthday, she began her first teaching job at Long Valley—the same one-room school that she had attended earlier.
After two years at Long Valley, she moved on to teach at Number One, Gladden, and Sullivan and took college courses each summer. When she completed her bachelor’s degree in 1957, she was hired by the Anchorage, Alaska, School District, where she taught and later became Social Studies Coordinator. In addition, she earned two master’s degrees and a doctorate and was selected for a Fulbright Scholarship to go to India for two months with 20 social studies educators from all over the United States.
After 26 years of teaching, she retired and—along with two other teachers—started a business in Alaska called The Learning Tree. They traveled around the state and helped school districts develop curriculum and train teachers, and she wrote and published curriculum on Alaska's history and Alaskan Natives. Later, she also co-owned a bookstore for a while, commercially fished for red salmon, and sold real estate.
In 1994, she left Alaska and moved back to Missouri to a home overlooking Pomme de Terre Lake. There, she became involved in real estate again and joined the Missouri Master Gardeners group and the local Archeology group, among others. She also traveled extensively throughout the United States and toured several other countries.
Her health deteriorated considerably during the following years, and in July 2014, she moved to Springfield Villa, a long-term care facility in Springfield, Missouri.
She was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Laveta Frey; and brothers, Paul Frey, and Raymond Frey. Survivors include two brothers: Lonnie Frey, Hermitage, and Ronald (Ron) Frey, Houston; and three sisters: Betty Rice, Houston; Shirley Bridges, Springfield; and Jeanie Huff, Success; as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Lucy’s wishes were to be cremated when she died. There will be no formal burial services, but a monument has been placed in the Number One Cemetery near Huggins, along with her parents and other family members.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Number One Cemetery Fund, c/o Dallas Rice, PO Box 173, Roby, MO 65557.
Cremation rites were accorded under the care and direction of the Cantlon Otterness & Viets Funeral Home of Buffalo.
