Charles Richard Frere

CHARLES RICHARD FRERE, Sr.

On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, Charles R. Frere, Sr. of Bel Alton, MD, passed away after a brief illness.  Born on December 10, 1925, in Tompkinsville, MD, he was the son of the late John E. Frere and the late Phyllis Mudd Frere.  He was also predeceased by his beloved wife Charlotte Spalding Frere; his son-in-law William A. Toombs, DDS; his brothers John E. Frere, Jr., William J. Frere, S. Phillip Frere, Robert Frere, and James M. Frere; and his sister Marion Frere.

He is survived by his children Charles R. Frere, Jr. (Diane), Mary Kaye Frere Toombs, Joseph Larry Frere, Thomas Keith Frere (Tae), and Pamela A. Frere; one granddaughter and five grandsons; seven great granddaughters; his sister Marie Martin; brothers Barry Frere and Edward Frere; and a number of in-laws, nieces and nephews.

Richard graduated from Glasva High School.  Upon graduation, he moved to Washington, D.C., landing a position at the Government Printing Office.  In December 1943 Richard enlisted in the Merchant Marines, U.S. Coast Guard, and served in WWII North Atlantic Theatre, until his Honorable Discharge in July 1945.  For his WWII service Richard received the Merchant Marine Congressional Gold Medal.  At the time of his death he was a 35-year member of the American Legion, Maryland Post 82.  He held various positions after his discharge from the service, his last being Deputy Chief of Operations for Civil Engineering, Andrews AFB, retiring in 1981. 

After retirement, Richard enjoyed spending time with Charlotte travelling (to various east coast beaches, Hawaii, cruises to Bermuda and Alaska, England (with a day trip to France via the Chunnel train), Canada, and Fort Jefferson, Fl, where his great-grandfather Dr. Samuel Mudd was imprisoned.  They also enjoyed camping; spending time with children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren; and helping his children, brothers, and various other relatives with their projects.  He was involved in several efforts around St. Ignatius, most notably developing the plans of the church cemetery.  This included many hours of surveying and identifying gravesites and owners, identifying empty sites, and producing blueprints of the cemetery still in use today by the parish and by Catholic Cemeteries.

Richard authored 2 books during his retirement:  “The Frere Family, 1673 – 1998” (published 1998) and “The Life and Times of Charles Richard Frere, Sr. 1925 – Present” (published 2016).

Visitation will be held at Arehart-Echols, La Plata, MD, on Wednesday, December 21 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, with prayers at 6:30 pm, officiated by Fr. Thomas Clifford.  Burial mass will be celebrated on Thursday, December 22 at 11:00 am, St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Chapel Point.  Interment will follow.  Pallbearers will be his grandchildren Rick, Brian, Eric, Kelly, Brandon and Allen Frere; Charles “Bubba” Spalding; and Brian Rollins.  Honorary pallbearers will be Francis Reynolds, Ronald Reynolds and Glenn Rollins.  Donations may be made to Carmel of Port Tobacco or a charity of your choice.

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