John Frey

1926 - 2011

John "Jack"

Sebastian Frey

STANFORDVILLE - John "Jack" Sebastian Frey, age 84 of Stanfordville, NY died on Monday, April 11, 2011 from complications of Parkinson's disease.

Jack was born in Hornell, NY on October 7, 1926 to Sebastian Justin and Catherine "Rena" McCarthy Frey.

He grew up in Corning, NY in a family of 10 children. He graduated from Corning Free Academy in 1944 and was accepted into the Navy V-12 Officer Training Program. He then studied at Middlebury College and Brown University before entering Princeton University.

After his graduation from Princeton in 1950, Jack entered the Marine Corps and served on active duty and in the reserves until his honorable discharge with the rank of Captain in 1959.

Jack graduated from Harvard Law School in 1956. He began his legal career in the law firm of Swan and Frawley in Elmira, NY.

In 1957, he joined the International Business Machines Corporation. His 32 year career with IBM took him to Owego, NY, Washington DC, Armonk, NY and finally to Paris, France where he served as IBM's General Counsel for Europe, Middle East and Africa. His accomplishments included contributing to IBM's successful defense against antitrust actions in the United States and Europe, and engineering one of the largest software copyright infringement settlements in history. He retired from IBM as Assistant General Counsel in 1989.

Jack played football at Corning Free Academy and Middlebury College. He followed the sport for the rest of his life, and was an avid and sometimes loud fan of the Washington Redskins.

He had a sharp intellect and a prodigious memory. He read the New York Times Daily, as well as anything he could get his hands on about history and politics. He was active in Democratic support and voter motivation. He loved telling stories about his life, listening to classical music, sailing, and being a father.

He married Anne Catherine Ober on October 6, 1951 at St. Mary's Church in Corning. They had five children together. They had been married for 59 years when he died.

Jack is survived by his wife, Anne Ober Frey, his children; Catherine (Thomas) Murphy of Earlville, NY, Peter Frey of Danbury, CT, Christopher (Eszter Samodai) Frey of Amston, CT, Elizabeth Frey of Olympia, WA and Nathaniel (Kathryn) Frey of Sherman, CT. Grandchildren; Caleb (Kate) Murphy, Laura Murphy, Lucas Murphy, Olivia Frey, Trevor Frey, Alexander Frey, Ana Frey and Julia Frey. He is also survived by his sisters; Rosanne (James) Clancy of Indianapolis, IN and Kay (Edward) Canty of Schenectady, NY, his brothers; Richard Frey, Hammondsport, NY and Thomas (Jacque Cady) Frey of Rochester, NY, brother-in-law; Larry Recktenwald of San Diego, CA and many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents, his brother; James Frey, his sisters; Mary Krebs, Teresa Frey, Marjorie Frey and Geraldine Recktenwald. His brother-in-law; Harold Krebs, and his sister-in-law; Helen Frey.

Family and friends are invited to call on Friday, April 29, 2011 from 6 - 8 pm at the Haughey Funeral Home, 216 E. First St., Corning, NY.

A Memorial Mass will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 10:00 am at St. Mary's Church, Corning, NY.

Memorial contributions may be made in Jack's name to the Michael Canty Memorial Fund, Inc., 719 Hampton Ave., Schenectady, NY 12309.