Elvira Janet Froehlinger

Dedicated Mother and Educator:

On November 26, 2025, Dr. Elvira Janet Froehlinger (nèe Castoro) passed away peacefully in Towson, Maryland. Beloved wife of late Richard A. Froehlinger Jr, daughter of late Charles Castoro and late Carmela (nèe Costanza) and sister of late Joseph Castoro (Margaret). Survived by children Beth Powell (John), Janet Froehlinger-Willey (Dave), Christina Froehlinger Thomas (David), Maria Webb (Don), Judi Froehlinger-Schlichter (Mark), and Rick Froehlinger (Tina). Also survived by the children of her late brother Joseph, Lilli Filichia (nèe Castoro) (Thomas Van Vleck) and Dr. Charles Castoro (Pat). Cherished grandmother of Melissa Metro (Jacob), Jared Powell (Tara), Joshua Powell (Emma), Christiana Coughlin (James), Lauren Jenkins (Jack), Sarah Schlichter (Bill Gottobrio), Luke Schlichter (Nicole), Nicholas Froehlinger, Jon Protzman, and Rachel Storck (Tim). Also survived by her loving great-grandchildren Victor, Lexi, Aron, Ava, Ari, Nora, Housley, Mack, Zara, Dalia, and Oliver.

Vira loved her family, her Catholic faith, and our country. She loved her husband (of almost 70 years), her six children, eight grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren, taking great interest and joy in each of their lives, desires, challenges, and accomplishments. She was always there to listen and provide her thoughts, prayers, help, and encouragement. Her Catholic faith was integral to her being, having had a near death experience after surgery where she said she asked God to let her remain on Earth to take care of and raise her six children.

Her professional career in education spanned more than five decades and positively impacted thousands of Maryland children. In her roles with the Maryland State Department of Education and as a consultant after her first retirement, she obtained and administered multi-million dollar grants for early childhood and special needs assessment, testing, and education programs. Having raised three daughters with severe hearing impairments, she was particularly attuned and devoted to providing parents and professionals with readily available resources to help identify and address development and learning issues in children's early, formative years.

Vira loved learning, singing, reading, and languages. She was fluent in Spanish, French, Latin, and Italian and, after graduating from Notre Dame College of Maryland, became a Special Assistant translating for the Italian Consul in Baltimore. She was intellectually brilliant, a voracious reader and exacting drafter, obtaining three Master's Degrees and a Doctorate in Education. She loved fashion, organized fashion shows for charities and schools, made clothes and fabric decorations with her daughters, taking after her mother who was a finishing seamstress before she married Vira's father.

She and her husband also loved being at the beach with family and friends in Ocean City, New Jersey. They invested and completely rebuilt the beach house with our cousins providing a welcome place for family vacations at the beach. Nothing gave our mother (and father) more joy than seeing their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren enjoying their lives, including family time at the beach home they had built.

We were blessed to have her love, care, and guidance and are very thankful to God for our mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

She said this prayer at every grace: "May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace." We pray that God receives the soul of his faithful servant Vira into the eternal kingdom of heaven, may she rest in peace with the love of her husband, dear family members and friends.

Services: Funeral Mass at Immaculate Conception Church, 200 Ware Avenue Towson, Maryland 21204 – December 13, 2025 at 10:00 am with the urn present for viewing at 9:30 am. Inurnment at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, 200 East Padonia Road, Timonium, MD 21093.

In lieu of flowers: Please make donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.