NSSA member and friend Julius Harry Frey passed away on August 22 at the age of 93.
Harry was known as a vibrant, energetic, and enthusiastic person. Skeet was his favorite pastime, and he was a 31-year member who shot at 26 World Skeet Championships, including the 2015 shoot. He was named to the All-American teams as Senior Veteran or Super Veteran every year since 2005. In 2014, he won the Armed Forces HOA Super Veteran Class at 91 and was sponsored by Blaser. Harry had 128,554 lifetime targets; in 2013 at 90 years old, he shot 4750 targets, and in 2014, he shot 3729.
He was a Master Mason raised in Bluebonnet Lodge and was a member of Charles Anderson Lodge until his passing. Harry was a member of the Alzafar Shrine Temple, past president of the golf unit, past president and founder of the shotgun unit, and committee member for the Pulling For Kids tournament benefiting Shriners Hospitals. In addition to skeet and his Masonic work, he had many interests such as hunting, motorcycles, and golf.
Harry was born on March 6, 1923 in Laredo, Texas to Julius Harry and Lucille Frey, who preceded him in death. His wife of 47 years, Jerry Ann Woodard Frey, also preceded him in death. Survivors include his sister-in-law Kay Burton and niece Pam Burton of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and nephew Steve Burton and wife Michelle of Amarillo, Texas.
Harry graduated from Breckenridge High School in 1946 after having served six years in the Navy during World War II. He attended Sul Ross University for a short time and later transferred to Trinity University, where he earned a B.S. degree in Social Service in 1949. He went back to Sul Ross University during two summers to earn his teaching certificate. He chose Sul Ross because he could take his horse, as he had an avid interest in roping at that time. Continuing his education, Harry attended Southwest Oklahoma State College where he earned a Master’s of Education degree in 1971. He also received an Industrial Education Certification in 1973 from Texas A&M University. Throughout his post-war years, Harry served as a school administrator in the Eagle Pass ISD and as a vocational instructor, including teaching classes in drafting and industrial arts, principally at MacArthur High School in San Antonio, where he eventually retired.
Harry joined the Navy at 17 years old in 1940 and served on the USS Lexington CV-2. The ship was one of the first to arrive at Pearl Harbor after the attack. From Pearl Harbor he went to the Battle of the Coral Sea where the Lexington went down. Harry also served on the USS Bennington and the USS Card. He was honorably discharged in 1951. His military honors included the American Defense Medal (1 star), Asiatic Pacific Medal (2 stars), American Theater Medal, European African Medal, Victory Medal, and President Unit Citation Award (1 Blue Star).
The Navy will honor him by spreading his ashes (and his wife Jerry’s ashes) over the sunken USS Lexington in the Coral Sea and will give him a 21-gun salute.
There will be a celebration of Harry’ life on September 28, 2016 at the Shrine Auditorium on 1604 and Blanco at 6:30 p.m. with a reception following. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Shriners Children’s Hospital Alzafar Transportation Fund, 901 N. Loop 1604 W., San Antonio, TX 78258. Additional memorials can be made to the High Plains Food Bank, PO Box 31803, Amarillo, TX 79120.
