IRVINGTON—John H. Frye III of Irvington passed away on October 9, 2020.
He was, born in Birmingham, Ala., on August 10, 1936, the son of the late John H. Frye Sr. and Helen Johnston Frye. He was a member of Grace Episcopal Church in Kilmarnock and was a resident of Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury.
John is survived by his wife, Ethel Gardiner Frye; his stepchildren and their families whom he considered his own, Theresa Stehle Kurtz (Alain), William “Chip” Stehle Jr. (Lori) and Susan Stehle Jones (Pete). He is also survived by his sisters, Helen Frye Parr (Grant) of Morristown, N.J., and Gage Frye Woods of Toms River, N.J.; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and great-grandchild.
He was preceded in death by two former wives, Sue Durkin Frye and Lucille Bowie Frye.
John graduated from Davidson College, served a tour of duty with Army Intelligence in Baltimore, Md., and received his law degree from Vanderbilt University. He practiced law in Washington, D.C., and in 1973 he joined the Federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington as counsel to its judges. He was later appointed administrative law judge for the commission. In 1992, he was appointed administrative law judge for the U.S. Occupational, Safety and Health Review Commission, from which he retired in 1998.
He was active in the Federal Bar Association, both in private and government service, and received numerous awards serving on its governing body and as chair of the Sections on Administrative Law, International Law and of the Committee on the Administration of Justice.
As an author of historical fiction, John published three novels: With God on Their Side, The Scoundrel and the Spy, and The Secessionist. He recently completed a fourth novel before his untimely death.
John was a lifetime member of the Society of the Cincinnati. During the time of his residency in Frederick, Md., he represented All Saints Episcopal Church on many Diocesan committees and also served as president of the board of directors for the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum.
While living in Reedville, he served on the board of the Friends of the Northumberland Public Library and especially enjoyed membership in the Philosophical Society at Ye Olde Book Shoppe in Heathsville. He also held membership in the Northumberland Association for Progressive Stewardship (NAPS) and the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, October 24, in the outside tented area behind Grace Episcopal Church, 303 South Main Street, Kilmarnock.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Friends of the Library, Northumberland Public Library, 7204 Northumberland Highway, Heathsville, VA 22473, or Grace Episcopal Church, 303 South Main Street, Kilmarnock, VA 22482.
Currie Funeral Home LLC of Kilmarnock handled the arrangements.
