Caroline Ann (Kinzer) Frei (1917 - 2019)

Born 9 Oct 1917 in Uniontown, Whitman, Washington, United States

Ancestors

Died 15 Nov 2019 at age 102 in Boise, Ada, Idaho, United States

Biography

Obituary

(*)--Survivor name(s) omitted

Caroline Ann Frei, 102, of Boise, formerly of Craigmont, passed away Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, at her home.

Caroline was born Oct. 9, 1917, to Peter and Katie Sharbach Kinzer in Uniontown. The middle child of 12 children, she grew up on the farm outside of Uniontown, as many did in that time, learning the meaning of hard work, discipline and responsibility. She shared chores with both of her sisters and brothers, working both in the house and outside on the farm.

She graduated from St. Boniface High School in 1935 and attended one semester at Marylhurst College in Oregon until the money ran out. She returned home to help her sisters when the babies came, as well as working for neighbors and friends.

It was a time of helping her sister, Eva, that she met Vince and worked in his bar, the Eagle Inn (later the Half-Way Club) in Ferdinand. He always told the story that he couldn’t afford to pay her, so he married her, although she was the love of his life. They were married Aug. 10, 1941, in Uniontown. The next day, they drove to Ferdinand, opened the bar and went to work. In 1943, they purchased the grocery store in Ferdinand and started an era with the Frei Mercantile that would last until 1973, when they sold the store and moved to Craigmont.

It was Caroline’s work ethic that helped her to manage a household of nine children and the accounting for the grocery store. She and Vince worked as a team to make a successful business that survived many ups and downs. In 1961, they built a modern store that enabled them to draw customers from across the prairie and Lewiston and even had customers as far away as Nevada when they came for the German sausage, which was the signature item of Frei Mercantile.

She greatly valued her faith and family, and was a member of the Catholic church at Assumption Parish in Ferdinand for 75 years. She was president of the Christian Mothers, a member of the Get-Together pinochle club, an avid seamstress and an even more avid quilter. If you have one of her quilts, bring it to the funeral and we will decorate the church.

In 2016, Caroline sold the family home in Craigmont and moved to Boise, where she enjoyed her life in a 55-plus community and the love of family in the Boise area.

Caroline was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Vince; daughter Teresa Kay; grandson Chad; granddaughter Tess; son-in-law Tom Hoene; and 11 brothers and sisters. She is survived by Vince’s siblings, (*).

She is survived by her children, (*).; and by 34 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Recitation of the rosary will be at 10:30 a.m. followed by Mass at 11 a.m. Saturday at Assumption Parish in Ferdinand. Burial will follow at Ferdinand Cemetery.

Remembrances may be left for Caroline’s family at www.AccentFuneral.com. Services are under the direction of Accent Funeral Home of Meridian. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Caroline’s name to your favorite charity.

Sources

• "United States Census, 1920," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHJZ-2Q2 : accessed 2 March 2015), Caroline Kinzer in household of Peter P Kinzer, Uniontown, Whitman, Washington, United States; citing sheet 7B, family 145, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,821,944.

• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9SP-K63 : accessed 10 February 2018), Caroline Kinzer in household of Martin Kinzer, Election Precinct 26 Colton, Whitman, Washington, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 38-33, sheet 3A, line 1, family 35, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4370.

• https://lmtribune.com/obituaries/caroline-ann-frei/article_d2ee0b55-f9eb-558b-a71f-12f4a004a657.html