A remarkable American life came to a peaceful close on Sunday evening. Freida G. Maisel, 95, died in her home in her native Mobile. Freida lived many lives in nearly a century: daughter, wife, mother, teacher and businesswoman, all with her characteristic intelligence, charm, elegance and beauty. Born Jan. 9, 1928, the sixth of seven children of Morris and Sarah Gutlow, Eastern European immigrants who had settled in the small Jewish community in Mobile some 15 years earlier, Freida Gutlow attended Raphael Semmes, Barton Academy, and graduated from Murphy High School in 1944. Three years earlier, in the halls of Murphy or perhaps at a dance at the Jewish Progressive Center on Warren Street, began the love affair that would define Freida’s life. Freida was 13, Hyme (Herman) Maisel was 15, and the only thing to separate them from that point forward was the two years he served in the Marines during World War II. They married in 1947 and remained devoted to each other until Herman’s death in 2007, one month after their diamond anniversary. Freida, the first of her seven siblings to attend college – she was the daughter whom her father trusted to work the cash register in the family grocery – graduated from the University of Alabama with a B.A. in English in 1948 and a Master’s in 1950. Those were the only six years she didn’t live in Mobile.
Throughout her life, Freida exemplified the principles of hard work and honesty instilled in her by her parents. Upon returning to Mobile, Freida alternated among a business career, teaching school at Baker High and Sidney Phillips Junior High, and being a stay-at-home mother to Kathy, Elliot, and Ivan. In 1973, she embarked on a second act that not even she saw coming. Freida bought a small beverage wholesaler in Mobile, renamed it Gulf Distributing Company, and built the foundation of a business that now serves customers in six states and employs nearly 2,000 people. Freida became a member of the Committee of 200, a national organization of prominent businesswomen. She broke new ground and glass ceilings, all with a steel backbone wrapped in charm. Freida retired at the age of 70 and handed Gulf over to her son Elliot but she remained interested in and apprised of the business until her final days.
Freida lived the Jewish tenet of Tikkun Olam, to repair the world, and tried to give back to her beloved Mobile in myriad ways. Among the many boards on which she served were the Mobile Jewish Welfare Board, the Mobile Mental Health Foundation, Mobile Museum of Art, and the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America.
Freida is predeceased by her husband, her son-in-law Mike Bronstein, and her grandson Max Maisel. She is survived by her children Kathy Bronstein (friend Irvin Grodsky), Elliot (Nell) and Ivan (Meg Murray); her grandchildren Mara Bronstein Gipson (Phillip), Michelle Bronstein Touchton (Jason), Noah Bronstein (Lara), and Robert Bronstein, Rebecca Maisel (Hattie Collins), Evan Maisel (Anna Seay), and Louis Maisel (Mattie), Sarah Maisel and Elizabeth Maisel; 12 great-grandchildren (and one on the way); and her devoted right-hand man, Howard Stallworth. A special thanks to Mittie Benion and her team of compassionate caregivers.
Service will be graveside at Congregation Ahavas Chesed Cemetery on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund at Ahavas Chesed, or to Hillel House at the University of Alabama.
