David Lee Frey

David Lee Frey passed away Thursday, February 26, 2026 at his home in Blythewood, South Carolina. Born July 1, 1936 in Kalamazoo, Michigan to parents Romeo and Ana (Cooley) Frey, David grew up in a God-fearing home where both of his parents were ordained ministers in the charismatic church. His mother was a school teacher and his father worked for the local pharmaceutical company. David attended Schoolcraft High School in Schoolcraft, Michigan, a small town in Southwest Michigan. He met Sandra Kay Delong at a church youth function when they both were in high school; they dated and then married in June of 1958. In July of 1960, David was drafted into the U.S. Army. He joined the U.S. Army Reserves and worked as a supply/stock clerk until his honorable discharge in July 1966. Throughout his life, David was proud to have served his country and remained a true patriot flying the American flag in front of his home.

His son Douglas Eric was born during his service in the U.S. Army Reserves then two years later daughter Susanne Michelle was born completing his family. David was blessed with a son-in-law, John Carroll of Blythewood, SC, and four grandchildren, Rachel Carroll of Baltimore, MD; Ann Carroll of Pineville, NC; Army Specialist Brent Carroll stationed at Fort Drum, NY; and Amy (Carroll) Williams married to Hudson Williams of Irmo, SC. David is preceded in death by his parents, wife Sandra, and his siblings: Esther Brush, Joyce Steeby, Paul Frey, and Phyllis Frey.

Upon completion of his Business Administration degree from Western Michigan University, David worked for several different companies, and eventually moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan to become the third-shift warehouse supervisor for Meijer, Inc., a local supermarket chain in Michigan. David was promoted to the director of transportation and supervised the truck drivers and managed the transportation fleet for Meijer.

After early retirement from Meijer at age 55, David underwent heart valve replacement surgery, recovered, then vigorously pursued his interests and hobbies, including the building of the home on Fisher Lake in Three Rivers, Michigan. David and Sandra moved full time to the Fisher Lake house where he learned to sail a catamaran, water ski, and enjoy boating.

During his time in Three Rivers, Michigan, he spent many hours as a volunteer carpenter, builder, and painter at Howardsville Christian School helping to build the new school through his home church of Howardsville Baptist Church in Marcellus, Michigan. He was a lifelong car lover and owned many fun and interesting vehicles throughout his life. The most notable vehicle being a beautiful, turquoise, 1963 Thunderbird convertible. He was an excellent handyman and enjoyed building grandfather clocks, furniture, and model airplanes.

David and Sandra moved from Michigan to Ohio to be near their grandchildren. When their son-in-law took a new job in South Carolina, David and Sandra followed and moved in 2008 to Blythewood, South Carolina. David and Sandra joined First Baptist Church of Columbia where they became active members and made many wonderful friends. David joined the choir and the group of volunteers who did repairs and maintenance on the church and became good friends with the other volunteers.

David lost his wife of 54 years in 2012. Losing Sandra after her long illness was difficult. Without Sandra's influence and direction in his life, David lost a big part of himself and was never able to fully recover from missing her. David suffered at the end without Sandra but, even at his lowest point, he never wavered in his faith in Jesus as his Lord and Savior. David is home safe, healed and is now enjoying the presence of His Lord for all eternity.

Visitation will be held Monday, March 9, 2026 at 1:00 pm at Thompson Funeral Home - Greenlawn, 845 Leesburg Road, Columbia, SC 29209 with the memorial service immediately following at 2:00 pm. Interment at Greenlawn Memorial Serenity Gardens following the memorial service.