Foundry manager raised cattle, offered haven to kids' friends

12/19/2004

CLYDE, Ohio - Dennis W. Frailey, who worked for more than 30 years in the foundry industry and whose home was a sort of recreation center for his children and their friends, died Thursday of pancreatic cancer at his home in Clyde. He was 55.

Mr. Frailey was born in 1949 to Garol and Harriett Frailey and grew up in and near Bellevue, Ohio, his wife, Sandra Frailey, said.

She said he graduated from York High School in 1967, and from the University of Missouri with a degree in economics in 1971, where he played a year of basketball and was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Mrs. Frailey said that after he graduated, he became a member of the National Guard, serving as second lieutenant for six years, before marrying her in 1978.

Mr. Frailey worked in the plastics industry for a few years before moving to the foundry industry, where he served for about 30 years in the purchasing department and later as a plant controller, plant administrator, and in various other management positions at the now-closed Tiffin Casting Products Inc., his wife said. He also worked at Kelsey Hayes Co. in Fremont as a plant controller before retiring in 2000, Mrs. Frailey said.

Mr. Frailey was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Clyde and served on the church council and property board. His wife said his daily prayers were for other people who suffered with cancer and for this world to become a kinder and gentler place.

He also raised cattle and enjoyed landscaping, gardening, and building structures on and around his home, his wife said.

"He was a high-energy guy," Mrs. Frailey said. "But through it all, his main focus was his family."

She said Mr. Frailey created a safe haven at their home for their children and their friends, and always offered to listen to them if they needed to talk.

"Our home was basically a recreation center for all our kids' friends," Mrs. Frailey said. "He was just always somebody the kids enjoyed being around, and he was a fine example for all the kids who came around."

His son, Craig Frailey, said he and his friends would often remark that Mr. Frailey was a person they could sit and talk with easily.

"He was one of those neat people you can just sit down and listen to forever and ever and ever," his son said.

His daughter, Jessica Frailey, said an adage of her father's drives her life to this day. He used to say that "it's OK to give out, but not give up."

He is survived by his wife, Sandra; son, Craig; daughter, Jessica; mother, Harriett, and brother, Joseph.

Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Clyde. Visitation will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. today from at the Auxter Funeral Home in Bellevue.

The family suggests tributes to the American Cancer Society.