George H. Frey

MIDDLEBURY- George Harry Frey died on February 26, 2016 at Elkhart Hospice House at the age of 71. He was born in Bridgeport, CT. to Fern and Wilfred Frey who preceded him in death.
George served in Viet Nam as a Force Recon Marine where he was wounded and received a purple heart and additional awards. The lasting effects of his wounds were the source of chronic pain throughout the rest of his life.
George earned his Masters of Divinity degree at Louisville Seminary and became a Presbyterian Minister. He received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Eden Theological Seminary and his training in pastoral counseling from Care and Counseling, Inc. His pastoral counseling career of 32 years began at VIP Care in Richmond, VA and continued as he served as Founding Executive Director of the Samaritan Center in Toledo, OH. For 26 years he served in the roles of Clinical Director, Executive Director and Pastoral Counselor at the Samaritan Center in Elkhart. His ministry of psychotherapy was appreciated by many who sought positive change in their lives. He was a Parish Associate at First Presbyterian Church, Elkhart.

After he retired, he held volunteer positions at Center for Hospice Care, Elkhart City Probation Dept., Loveway, Inc, Goshen Hospital and in the Elkhart Community Schools reading program.

George married his surviving wife, Kathy in 1983. Also surviving are his children, Scott (Kate) Patterson of Manchester, NH and Christopher (Cherish) Patterson of Elkhart. His grandchildren, Spencer, Chris, Ethan and Grace survive as does his sister, Sue Gayet of Rockford IL and his dog, Emma.
George was a gentleman who loved his family, all of his dogs, the game of golf and ice cream.

Visitation will be from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Monday, February 29, 2016 at Stemm-Lawson-Peterson Funeral Home, Elkhart, followed by a memorial service with Military Honors by the Marines and Middlebury American Legion.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Loveway, Inc. or the Center for Hospice Care.
Online condolences may be made at www.stemmlawsonpeterson.com