Freida Augusta Unger

Freida Augusta Jane (Rill) Unger, 92, of Hampstead, passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 5, at her home surrounded by loved ones. Born on September 21,1932 in Hampstead, MD, Freida was the daughter of the late Albert Robert Rill & Laura Virginia (Ebaugh) Rill; the eighth out of their ten children. Freida was the beloved wife of the late James Clinton Unger for 62 years, prior to his passing. She is survived by a sister, Vernice Lorraine (Rill) Hetrick, of Pleasant Hill, PA, as well as numerous nieces, great-nieces, nephews, & great-nephews. Born on her family farm, Freida developed a love of working the land & learned the value of hard work very early. It was also where she met her lifelong friends, who lived on an adjacent farm. After graduation from Hampstead High School, Class of 1951, she went to work at the Hampstead Bank and pursued her love of travel, taking numerous road trips with her girlfriends over the years. In 1958, she met her soul mate, Jim, & they were married in July 1960. One of the many things they had in common was their love of travel, a trait they nourished in each other. They traveled as often as they were able, sometimes by themselves & sometimes with friends or family. During this time, she began working at Hereford High School as the school secretary. By 1966, she decided that she wanted to change careers, so she attended night school at Towson University, and in 1970 she received her Bachelor of Science degree and was certified by the Department of Education to teach elementary school. After college graduation, she began teaching fourth grade at 5th District Elementary School, where she taught from 1970-1982. In those 12 years, 312 students passed through her classroom and were shaped by her teaching, many of which still have fond memories of her to this day. Although they never had children of their own, they enjoyed spending time with their numerous nieces & nephews, as well as their children. From babysitting, seeing them off to school, and attending various events they remained a fixture in their lives as they grew & started families of their own. In the early eighties after her parents passing, Freida & Jim had the opportunity to purchase a large portion of her family farm that she loved so much, so Freida retired from teaching to go back to her farming roots. A few years later, Jim also retired, and they established Unger's Fruit Farm, where they spent the next 38 years growing various fruit & vegetable crops & participated in multiple Farmer's markets in Carroll & surrounding counties, selling their fresh produce as well as assorted homemade candies and baked goods. Besides traveling and farming, she enjoyed digging for and collecting antique bottles, fishing, & hosting large gatherings at her home. She was also a lifelong, devout member of St. Mark's United Church of Christ in Snydersburg, where she taught Sunday school, was an officer of the Youth Fellowship, got married, and played with many of the church women on a local softball team over the years. She was predeceased by her brothers: Perry Phillip Sedrick Rill, Albert Robert Leroy Rill Jr (Babe), George Calvin Rill Sr, & John Daniel Rill and sisters: Eleanor Claudette (Rill) Sterner (Dolly), Ella Marie (Rill) Murray, Christine Dorothy (Rill) King, & Virginia Caroline Mae (Rill) Mays. The family will receive visitors on Monday June 9th , 2025 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 at ECKHARDT FUNERAL CHAPEL, P.A, 3296 Charmil Drive, Manchester, MD, 21102. Funeral services will be followed by interment on Tuesday June 10th, 2025 at 1:00 pm at St. Mark's United Church of Christ, 1616 Cape Horn Road, Hampstead, MD 21074. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St Mark's UCC in Snydersburg, MD.