Frederic David Fraley

Frederic

David Fraley

Frederic David Fraley, 71, of Lynchburg, passed away and became a silent key (W4DF) on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009. Born March 6, 1938, in Tazewell County, he was the son of the late Charles Kermit and Carrie Porter Fraley. He was also preceded in death by a sister, Judy Fraley Ball.

Survivors include his wife, Mary Ellen Deckelman Fraley of Lynchburg; one son, David Clark Fraley of Richmond; a sister, Carol Jean Fraley Laferty, and her husband, Don, of Morehead, Ky.; and four nephews, one niece, and many loyal friends, including his beloved

dog, Abby.

Fred was raised on a tobacco farm near Dungannon as had several generations of his family before him. Fred was fascinated by television, which began in 1951 when his family bought the first TV set in the area. When neighbors heard that there was actually television reception there, many Friday nights found the living room full of visitors watching a less than perfect picture because there were not yet nearby stations. A line had to be strung to the top of the mountain in order to obtain a picture from WSAZ in Huntington, W.Va.

Fred's family always had a love for music, and he carried on the tradition by learning to play the guitar. He was in a band in the 50s, which appeared daily on WNVA Radio in Norton. Amateur radio became an avid interest and Fred qualified for a ham radio license at the age of 15. It soon became apparent that he had a special talent for communication by Morse code. In a few months, he was talking to other hams around the world using code to exchange information and handle messages.

Fred graduated from Dungannon High School. He chose Virginia Tech and graduated in 1960 with a B.S. in education and is an alumnus of their Corps of Cadets. He served three years in the Army Signal Corps, including being president of the radio club in Kenai, Alaska. Upon returning home, a job as a social worker with the Wise County Welfare Department began his career in social work, which spanned 40 years. Fred earned a master of social work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and became social work supervisor in Halifax. He later was appointed Montgomery County director of Social Services. In 1971, Fred became the first director of the Lynchburg State Regional Social Services office, a position he held for 20 years. While in Lynchburg, Fred married Mary Ellen Deckelman, a social worker in Richmond. They have a son, Clark, who attended VCU and now lives in Richmond.

After retiring from State service in 1991, Fred started his own small business, Fraley Family Videography. In 1997, Fred returned to social services as a faculty member at VCU and became the director of social services for the city of Danville. Fred retired again in 2005 but continued to serve as president of the Crisis Line Board, a suicide prevention agency for Central Virginia.

Fred held many volunteer leadership positions, including being president of the Virginia Council on Social Welfare, Lynchburg Amateur Radio Club and Exchange Club of Lynchburg. His interest in speaking Spanish led him to serve as president of the Hispanic Support Council in Danville. Fred's fascination with television was instrumental in his producing and hosting a cable program called "People Helping People," which received national attention for methods to enhance knowledge about human services. On Sept. 23, 2008, Fred was presented the Mountain Treasure Award as a graduate of Dungannon High School, which is awarded to graduates who have distinguished themselves in their career, community, family and personal life.

There will be a gathering of family and friends in celebration of Fred's life from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009, at Tharp Funeral Home, Lynchburg. Private inurnment will be in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a memorial contribution please consider Crisis Line of Central Virginia, P.O. Box 3074, Lynchburg, VA 24503, www.crisisline

ofcentralvirginia.org; or the Scholarship Fund of Quarter Century Wireless Association. QCWA contributions should be made payable to the QCWA Memorial Scholarship Fund and mailed directly to QCWA general manager, Chuck Walbridge, P.O. Box 3247, Framingham, MA 01705-3247; or Boonsboro Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company Inc., P.O. Box 3024, Lynchburg,

VA 24503.

Tharp Funeral Home and Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family, (434) 237-9424. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.tharp

funeralhome.com.