Fred Frommelt

In cherished memory of Fred Frommelt, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Born Frank Fred Frommelt in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 9, 1935, Fred grew up in Baltimore City, where he attended the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and graduated in 1953. He then received a wrestling scholarship to the University of Baltimore. Fred was incredibly passionate about wrestling, to which he dedicated much of his life. He competed throughout his youth, high school, college, and recreationally, winning a multitude of tournaments and awards. During his time at UBalt, Fred was both the Mason-Dixon and Central Atlantic Champion all four years that he attended. He was also a three-time South Atlantic Champion and earned the title of National YMCA Wrestling Champion in 1954—the same year he married his lifelong love, Dolores.

After his four children were born, Fred was employed by the Howard County Department of Health and the State of Maryland in environmental sanitation, where he worked for nearly 40 years. During this time, he also served as an assistant wrestling coach for the United States Naval Academy and Northeast High School, as well as a referee for the Maryland Wrestling Officials Association for nearly a decade. In 2004, he was inducted into the University of Baltimore Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Fred’s love of wrestling was only surpassed by his love for his family, to whom he devoted much of his life with support and care. A true waterman, he spent countless hours fishing, crabbing, and boating, and especially cherished sharing these hobbies with his children and grandchildren. He passed on his love for the sea, raising his children at their home on the water in Greenland Beach, which he built with his father and where he lived for most of his life. He also loved attending—and often coaching—their sporting events. Many summers were spent hosting family vacations in Ocean City, where he enjoyed body surfing and collecting treasure from the beach.

At his very core, Fred was an adventurer. He loved traveling the world, with his passion for the water taking him to islands such as Tahiti, Aruba, Hawaii, Bermuda, and the Bahamas. He also visited Europe and was especially fond of his trip to Ireland.

Fred was a well-respected pillar of his community and a member of the Stoney Creek Democratic Club, where he served as president for several years.

Fred passed after a lengthy and hard-fought illness that affected his kidneys, heart, and lungs. Despite the many challenges he faced, he never gave in to resignation and never lost his inner strength or good humor. He continued making goofy faces and teasing his family and medical team, even through his toughest battles. (Though he would likely say that the hardest struggle was having to give up finishing everyone’s desserts at family events.)

He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Dolores J. Frommelt; his children, Fred P. Frommelt, Lori Frommelt, Wendy Johnson, and Julie Frommelt; his son-in-law, Larry Johnson; as well as his nine grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren. He is deeply missed, though his profoundly impactful love—and his heartwarming sense of silliness—will never be forgotten.

A celebration of Fred’s life will be held in June.