Charles Frederick Frey

1929 - 2022

Charles Frederick Frey
November 15, 1929 - February 7, 2022
Rescue, California - Charles Frederick Frey, truly a Renaissance man, said goodbye to his family on February 7, 2022. Whether hiking mountains in Yosemite, harvesting copious crops of tomatoes and corn from his garden, reading voraciously, or performing life-saving pancreatic surgery, Charlie never failed to inspire those around him with his passion for life and work. Beloved husband, father, friend, surgeon and mentor, he died peacefully at age 92 surrounded by family at his home.
Born in New York City on November 15, 1929 his parents Charles N. Frey and Julia L. Leary raised Charlie and his two sisters Martha Anne and Florence in Scarsdale, New York. An athletic, sharp, curious young man, he showed great promise early on for the remarkable career he would have as an internationally renowned pancreatic surgeon and investigator. Deeply impacted by a near-death experience from viral pneumonia when he was 15 years old, Charlie had a desire to do something with his life that was both useful and needed. He graduated from Amherst College in 1951 and attended Cornell University medical school to obtain an M.D. degree in 1955.
When, as a third-year medical student, a patient presented with hemorrhagic pancreatitis and subsequently died as there was no known effective treatment for this mysterious and deadly disease, Charlie found his calling and lifelong challenge. In his words: "Studying and learning about pancreatitis was like what Robert Frost said about taking the path less traveled and that suited my own needs and temperament." He finished general surgery training at the New York Hospital in 1963 during which time he completed two years in the United States Air Force as chief of surgery at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida.
In early 1957 Charlie took Jane Tower, the sister of his best friend John Edmonds' wife Anne, on their first date to see Billy Graham speak in Madison Square Garden in New York City. Three months later, Jane and Charlie were engaged and married on July 20, 1957. They have five children: Jane - California; Susan -Minnesota; Charlie -Texas; Bob (Mei) -California; and Nancy (Jose) -Spain; and nine grandchildren - Audrey (Reid), Cathy, Zach, Nick, Jacob, Derek, Eric, Marina and Sam; and great granddaughter Valerie.
After his internship year, a friend invited Charlie to visit Yosemite National Park in California for the first time. Having planted hundreds of trees on his family's Michigan farm, forestry had been a potential career option and experiencing Yosemite's magnificent, inspiring landscapes initiated a love affair with hiking (including treks summiting Mt Rainier and Mt Fuji) that would endure for the rest of Charlie's life; a gift and passion for the outdoors that he passed on to his five children by taking them there on annual trips to hike, identify and learn the magic of the trees and rock formations, and to never forget to look up at the stars.
After 12 years at the University of Michigan in the Department of Surgery, Charlie's career led him and his family to California where he eventually became the Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of California, Davis Medical Center. During his very active career in the areas of trauma, EMS and pancreatic diseases, and developed what was named the Frey Procedure for chronic pancreatitis. He published over 200 articles and book chapters and presented his work at over 300 meetings worldwide. He gave hope where there was none and greatly improved patient confidence in pancreatic surgery. He was a founding member of the Pancreas Club and Chairman of it from 1975 to 1995. He retired in March 1997.
At heart a country boy, in 1999 Jane and Charlie moved to and built a house in rural Rescue, California where he was able to devote his attention to developing the land, tending his fruit orchard and vegetable garden and hiking the hills. An inveterate reader, he was an active member of the Serrano Men's Book Club.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in Charlie's name to Mercy Hospice (supportmercyfoundation.org) and the Rescue Fire Department (rescuefiredepartment.org).