Joseph "Steve" Frueh Jr.

11/24/1940-5/15/2026

Steve was born in Pittsburgh, PA to Odelia Elizabeth (Schreibeis) Frueh and Joseph Stephen Frueh Sr. The ornery brother to Patricia, Jane and Geri, the Frueh family moved to Falls Church and Hopewell, VA before settling in Columbus, Ohio.

A 1958 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Steve did a quick quarter at OSU and then joined the Navy in 1959. Stationed in Kingsville, TX, he studied Aviation Structural Mechanics, specializing in hydraulics. He was honorably discharged in 1963 and returned to the Columbus area.

In 1965, working as a ‘soda jerk’, Lynda Page walked by and caught his attention. She thought his blue eyes were something special. They married January 15, 1966 in Columbus, and began moving from state to state with Steve’s job. Working for Mrs. Paul’s Frozen Fish and the Jolly Green Giant companies, Steve was a salesman traveling and living in Phoenix, AZ., Raleigh, NC., and Macon, GA. Eventually they found their way back to Ohio.

Steve started working at the Ford Assembly Plant in Lorain, Ohio while he and Lynda raised their three daughters, Julie, Becky, and Amy in Vermilion. Life spent in Vermilion consisted of morning walks to the lake with his dog, Bill, trips to the store for lottery tickets, and creating art- most notably his metal sailboat sculptures and wrought iron pieces. Steve was a longtime Mason and member in good standing with the Ely Lodge No. 424 in Vermilion and Sunrise Lodge No. 783 in Gahanna.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his infant brother James, his sister Patricia Kuhn, and his daughter, Amy Garrigan. He is survived by his wife, (The Boss) Lynda; his daughters, Julie (Mike) Nader and Becky (Kevin Alexeff) Fruh; his sisters, Jane Woodruff and Geri Frueh; and his absolute pride and joys, his grandchildren, Gabriel, Amelia, and Lila Nader, and Cary and Gregory Garrigan; as well as many amazing nieces and nephews.

This about covers the compliant piece for your obituary needs. Any interest in reading further shows your desire to know odd facts and information, which means you understand Steve and his never ending need to know things (even if it was useless and trivial).

He is “The Good Guy”, she is “The Boss”- Visiting Uncle Steve & Aunt Lynda meant you were going to have a good time, get thrown in the pool, consume an unhealthy amount of chocolate milk and Doritos, take a trip through the Ford plant, and just learn something you never thought you’d know.

He was a big, scary bear of a man who frightened most of our friends with his angry sounding growl but he coached those same friends in softball. . . and we had so much fun.

He was a creative fellow. Sculpting in metal and wrought iron, he made sailboats and candelabras, praying mantis and butterflies, and a lot of abstract works that decorate the homes of many of his friends and family.

He worked hard and when he played, he played like a kid. He loved learning and using his knowledge to create what one might call ‘death traps’ - to entertain himself and his friends. Steve designed and built hang gliders out of pipe and visqueen plastic, encouraging his friends to jump off the hills at Mill Hollow to see if they would fly (they did, but the crashes were more spectacular). Hover crafts powered by cycling, award winning crazy crafts; he was always creating, dreaming, and building.

He was an inventor. He was a goofball. He was cantankerous. He was loving. He never met a baby that wasn’t beautiful and deserving of all the love of the world. He played the lottery – always planning the next trip to Hawaii when he finally won. Mostly he won a little here or there and always gave the money to “the mommas and the babies” who were in need.

He and Lynda have always been givers. Givers of love, givers of time, givers of laughter and fun.

And once he had his own grandbabies, you could not stop the joy. No one on earth brought Poppie more joy and happiness than his grandchildren. His devotion to them was limitless, as was his willingness to be there, to support any endeavor or dream, to cheer them on. To teach them, and to learn from them; he was their biggest fan! If they brought up a topic, Poppie would take out a notepad and pen to take notes so he could learn about their interests for the next visit. He was always on the floor with them- he felt it was important to meet the kids at their level so they could communicate and ultimately have more fun. It was not unusual to see Poppie on the floor under a pile of kids just being silly.

He never stopped trying to learn new things. Reading his science books, learning obscure facts about the world, trying new foods- everyday there was something new to learn.

Spiritual but not religious, he believed in God, kept a Buddha in every room, and a pyramid wherever their power was needed. He prayed every night for the safety of his family.

He loved his wife, Lynda- “That’s my girl” he’d say and talk about her “smarts” and generosity and how “Oma’s goofy” or how “she treats me like a dawg.” He loved his daughters, giving them ‘two-week hugs’ and saying “I love you little girl” as we grew up, trying to make him proud. He loved his dog Bill – she was considered by many to be ‘the dog from hell’ but he loved her. Most of all he loved the grandkids with every bit of his heart and soul.

He wasn’t afraid to die. He just wanted to know what was next. And now he gets to know. And he knows something we don’t and I bet that tickles him.

A gathering for family and friends will be scheduled soon.