In perpetual motion
That's how people remember Kaye Frey
CROSBY -- Kaye Frey was remembered by Crosby acquaintances as a woman in perpetual motion who left a legacy of countless volunteer activities in addition to her role as a news reporter.
"Indefatigable," is how retired Central Lakes College instructor Joe Plut summed up the Crosby woman who died Sunday at her home at age 85.
"She was an amazing woman," he said. "She had such great enthusiasm for everything."
Frey broadcast news for KKIN/KEZZ radio in Aitkin and covered Aitkin and Crosby government as a correspondent for The Brainerd Dispatch for many years until 1992.
Her volunteer activities ranged from Girl Scout leader to service on the first Crow Wing County American Cancer Society board. Other organizations she was involved with included the Crosby-Ironton Parent Teacher Association, the Cuyuna Range Women's Club, the Deerwood-Bay Lake Senior Citizens Club, the Crosby-Ironton Senior Citizens Club, the Jessie F. Hallett Memorial Library Board, the Cuyuna Range Hospital Auxiliary, the Crow Wing County March of Dimes, the Minnesota Heart Association, the Lakes Area Music Association, the Upper Midwest Metropolitan Opera Board, the Crow Wing County Retired Senior Volunteer Program and the Cuyuna Country Heritage Preservation Society.
Plut, 67, a Crosby native, said Frey was a pioneer who had a big heart and a desire to bring cultural and educational opportunities to her community.
She was the first woman to serve as president of the Northwest Broadcast News Directors Association and the first to serve as president of the Minnesota United Press International board.
"She was always enthusiastic and full of energy," Plut said.
Al Houle, 70, a retired Crosby-Ironton School District history teacher, said he remembered Frey's feisty attitude and willingness to devote boundless energy to a cause she believed in.
"She had a lot of chutzpah," he said. "She had strong opinions."
As a news correspondent, Frey's strong opinions were often shared in a forthright manner with Brainerd Dispatch reporters who misspelled a name or made a mistake while typing her dictation of a Crosby City Council meeting.
"She was quite a mover and shaker," Houle said.
Services will be 11 a.m. Thursday at Cascade United Methodist Church in Deerwood. Arrangements are with Koop Funeral Home in Crosby.