Harold P. Frisch, age 82 of Annapolis, MD went to be with the Lord on November 16, 2020. Harold was a loving and devoted son, brother, husband, father and grandfather who enjoyed life to the fullest each and every day in his own “Harry” way. Harry was born and raised in the Bronx to Harold and Anna (Gudausky) Frisch and was nephew to Baseball’s Hall of Fame Great, Frankie Frisch. Anxious to pave his own path he ran track for his high school, Mount St. Michael’s Academy and New York University where he studied math and physics earning a Master’s degree in Science.
After graduation he headed south to Hampton, VA to join the newly formed government agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as an aerospace engineer in the quest to send a man into space. Soon afterwards Harry moved to the Washington, D.C. area where he continued to work for NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center for over 50 years and was bestowed title of Emeritus. During his career, he joined with International Organization of Standardization (ISO) to unify worldwide scientific, proprietary, industrial, and commercial standards. Harry continued to pursue NASA’s mission after his retirement until his death through a collaboration with the Mayo Clinic. His goal was to apply engineering and mathematical concepts to the study of cancer immunology, in hopes to reveal the dynamic nature of the human immune system as it responds to cancer and treatment. Always passionate about lifelong learning he continued to keep his mind young by attending weekly NASA lectures with his cherished colleagues and was constantly reading and listening to the Great Courses on a multitude of subjects. Harry was constantly in the pursuit of understanding how everything connects to everything in our dynamic world.
After arriving in Washington he met his beloved wife Catherine Smillie (Cathy) of 55 years. They soon moved to Annapolis where they raised their three children and became lifelong members of St. Mary’s Parish. Harry was very active in the parish and the school as a member of the parish council and the athletic organization. He loved watching his children play sports particularly lacrosse and was always a loud fixture at all their games. Harry loved carpentry and constructed furniture and displays for his wife’s art gallery and his masterpiece piece was the family’s much-loved redwood screened-in porch. Harry loved to travel with his wife to all corners of the globe through his work with ISO and for pleasure to visit their beloved friend living in Greece. Harry and his wife have made countless friends during their time in Washington and Annapolis and always enjoyed any party or occasion they could get together to laugh and have a good time. Harry could always be counted on to have a good story to tell with a beer in his hand. Harry’s grandchildren were the light of his life, he enjoyed every minute he could spend with them. The annual family beach week was his favorite where he could sit back and watch them all just have fun being together. He was so immensely proud of each and every one of them for their own unique personality.
In addition to Harry’s parents and uncles, he was preceded in death by his sister Francine Gross. In addition to his wife, Harry is survived by his three children, Dr. Harold Michael Frisch and his wife, Susan; Francis Alexander Frisch and his wife, Janet; and Virginia Frisch McElroy and her husband, Alex. He is also survived by 14 grandchildren: Mary Kate, Hannah, Mitchell, and Caroline (children of Michael and Susan), Sarah, Catherine, William, Charlotte, and Thomas (children of Alex and Janet) and Alex, Michael, Anna, James, and Matthew (children of Virginia and Alex).
A funeral mass will be held at Saint John Neumann Mission Church, located at 620 North Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD, 21401, on Saturday, November 28, 2020 at 9am. For our family and friends who would like to participate in the Funeral Mass but are not able to travel or are uncomfortable venturing out due to the COVID19 pandemic, we will be live streaming the funeral mass at these websites. Please stay safe and vigilant and follow social distancing precautions.
https://www.stmarysannapolis.org/about-church/coronavirus-information/st-marys-live-stream-masses
https://www.facebook.com/stmarysannapolis
https://vimeo.com/stmarysannapolis
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Mary’s Athletic Department, 109 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, MD 21401.
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