Barbara J. Frueh

Barbara Joan Frueh, age 85, passed away at 8:56 pm, Thursday, March 25, 2021 at St Rita’s Medical Center. She was born May 12, 1935 in St Vincents Hospital, New York City to the late Charles A. and Margie (Blackburn) Carmine. Her love and fascination of New York City remained throughout her life. Her family moved to Tampa, Florida where she graduated from Plant High School in Tampa, Florida. At MacDill Airforce Base she met a young airman that remained the love of her life. She married Darrell “Pete” Frueh and they raised a family of 5 children together. Theresa (John Lee), Richard (Maria Carmen Fernandez), Steven (Peggy LeMar), Michael (Marilyn Sheets), and Daralyn (Jeff Kennedy).

Barbara was a dedicated homemaker that was known as a fabulous seamstress, a gourmet cook, a talented decorator, and an administrator of all things Frueh related. She, along with her life partner Pete, chose to provide a great education at parochial school and all the other great life experiences that her children appreciate to this day. All of her children learned to work hard. Their careers spanned laboratory science, stock market, computers, printing and advertising, fashion design, and dog training. Most established businesses of their own. She and Pete bought a business and it prospered under their hand. She was an active decision maker and treasurer at their business, Longmeier Printing and Advertising, for 31 years. Barbara loved to help others, volunteering at St Charles Altar and Rosary Society where she sewed, gardened, and organized many a spaghetti dinner and fundraiser. She taught her children to invest themselves in worthy causes as they spent many hours helping her in the parish rose gardens. She was an avid gardener and remained a lover of flowers all of her life, so much so that even when she lived in the city an article was written in the Lima News about her fabulous sidewalk zinnia’s. Photographers would bring wedding parties to take pictures in front of her beloved ivy wall. She was on the steering committee and the first secretary for Big Brothers, Big Sisters in 1982. She also taught reading for the Literacy Council. Her and Pete loved the many years they spent at Lost Creek Golf Course and the Elks. She owned Learn to Dance Studio where she taught ballroom dancing for 15 years. Dancing was a passion to her. She remained active, being a regular at exercise class at the YMCA three times a week until the Covid quarantine.

Grandchildren include Jennifer and Andrew (Billie) Lee, Nicholas and Thomas Frueh, Amanda (Heath) Frueh-Gambill and Peter Frueh, and Patrick, AJ, Brian and Bradley Frueh. She had four great grandchildren: Johnny, Torie Daralyn, Joshua Lee and Ainsley Frueh-Gambill.

Barbara’s brothers and sisters are Charles (Ray) Carmine of Tampa, Florida, Francis T (Ruth) Carmine of Livingston, Texas, sister Michelle (Mickey) Rose Paulk of Niceville, Florida and a brother Norman Jay (Linda) Aarseth of Trenton, GA.

She was preceded in death by her husband Pete on Jan 2, 2005, her daughter Daralyn of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma at age 35, and her brother Ray Carmine.

A celebration of her life will be held on Thursday, April 1, at Bayliff & Son Funeral Home, Cridersville, Ohio. Visitation will be 3 pm to 6:30 pm. Service will be 6:30 – 7 pm.