Janet Elaine Frye

1951 - 2021

Janet Elaine (Pierce) Frye

October 25, 1951 - October 9, 2021

Janet Elaine (Pierce) Frye, 69, was born October 25, 1951 in Ayden, NC, to Eunice Snell Pierce and Henry Ashley Pierce. She graduated from Ayden High School in 1970 as Salutatorian and was Editor-in-Chief of The Tornado, school newspaper. She briefly attended East Carolina University and VA Tech then transferred to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, earning her BA (1975) and MA (1981) in Journalism. In the summer of 1969, she met Gerald Dalton Frye while on a church youth trip to VA Beach. They were married Sept. 11, 1971 in Richmond, VA. In 1983, Janet & Gerald moved to College Station, TX for his faculty position in the Texas A&M College of Medicine. They put down roots in Aggieland having two loving sons, Justin (1987) and Jeremy (1991), who graduated from TAMU.

Janet excelled in several career paths in Journalism. She wrote science articles for the press on cutting edge medical research at Duke University and for the monthly publication, Medical World News in Houston. Her skills as a writer, editor, media communicator and educator were highly valued in several positions at the Texas A&M University System including in the Agrilife Extension Service, the Journalism Department, and Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). She retired December 2020 after 25 years with TEEX. Her many talents were recognized with multiple awards like the TEEX Distinguished Service Award and Brazos Bravo Award from the Brazos Valley International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

Besides her passion as a journalist she relished travel. She played family travel agent organizing trips to watch whales in Alaska, visit National Parks like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellow Stone, the Petrified Forest and overseas to Stone Henge, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Colosseum, Pompei, Acropolis, Mount Olympus, Santorini and Ephesus among many others. She loved unique experiences, climbing down to King Tut's burial chamber and the narrow tunnel into the Great Pyramid at Giza. Janet created a wonderful legacy of unforgettable experiences for her family.

Family was central in Janet's life. She kept in close contact with her siblings on the East and West Coasts and loved getting progress reports and rewarding her nieces and nephews with cards and gifts. She relished being a Mother, showering her sons with love and affection and imparting her passion for learning and discovery. She never complained and was tolerant and supportive in good times and bad. The arrival of Jasper, her first grandson in 2014 gave her new purpose as 'Grammie' and she enjoyed playing trains, reading books, singing, even braving a bouncy castle. The love she showered on those around her is her lasting legacy. Janet is deeply missed, and will never be forgotten.

She was preceded in death by her father, Henry Ashley Pierce, her mother, Eunice Snell Pierce; and her sister, Judy Viereck. She is survived by her husband of 50 years, Gerald "Gerry" Frye, her sons and daughters-in-law, Jeremy and Bethany Frye of Austin, TX, and Justin and Jo Anne Frye of Campbell, CA as well as her beloved grandson Jasper Frye, who brought her so much joy. She is also survived by her sister, Kay Gamache of Meridian, ID; brothers, Ashley Pierce and wife, Judy of Ashland, VA, Lon Pierce and wife Elaine of Winterville, NC and Jerry Pierce and wife Teresa of Leland, NC; brother-in-law, Jack Frye and wife Mary of Richmond, VA and many nieces and nephews and their families.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations in her honor to BCS Sister Cities, Hospice Brazos Valley, or MD Anderson Cancer Center.