John Lennig Frye Sr.

John Lennig Frye Sr. passed away Friday, Oct. 7, 2011.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 10, at Elise Presbyterian Church, in Robbins.
A private internment with full military honors will precede the funeral at Pine Rest Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, at Kennedy Funeral Home, in Robbins.
A lifetime resident of Robbins, he was born Nov. 14, 1919, to Charles C. and Alma Greene Frye. A graduate of the Elise Academy, “Dink” attended Elon College on football and baseball scholarships before being drafted to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II.
He served with the 43rd Infantry Division, 172nd Regiment, in the Pacific and made five beachhead landings, including Guadalcanal, New Georgia Island, Rendova and Arundel. He received the Bronze Star and Combat Infantry Badge, among other military awards and decorations.
After returning from the war, he began operating John L. Frye Co., a general department store and railroad cross-tie business, which was started in 1896 by his father and was at one time the largest independent cross-tie brokerage in the United States.
He served on the town council from 1950 to 1979, serving as mayor of Robbins from 1958 to 1979. He was a member of the board of directors of First Bank and had served in the past on the board of trustees of FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.
He was invested into the order of the Masons. He was also the recipient of several community service awards, among them the Distinguished Citizen Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership in 1981. He was a lifetime member of Elise Presbyterian Church and served as a deacon and elder.
Dink was predeceased by his wife of 48 years, Lou Hardy Frye; his sisters, Aureade Frye and Helen Muse; and his brother Cameron Frye. He is survived by his children, the Rev. Dr. John L. Frye Jr. (Denise Deibler), of Gastonia, Martha Frye Baker (Thompson S., II), of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and Mary Frye Erwin (John), of Burlington; his grandchildren, John L. Frye III, Mary Cameron Baker, Julia Baker, Sam Baker, Will Erwin and Jack Erwin; and his special friend, Betty Britt Morphis, and her dear children, Barry, Eddie, Rob and Donna.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Elise Presbyterian Church Building Fund, P.O Box 637, Robbins, NC 27325; Foundation of FirstHealth, 150 Applecross Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374; or Elon University, c/o John Frye Athletic Scholarship, Campus Box 2500, Elon, NC 27244.
Online condolences may be made at www.pinesfunerals. com.
Kennedy Funeral Home is serving the Frye family.