Harold Frisbie

Harold R. Frisbie was a kindhearted and fun-loving man, with an unforgettable sense of humor that endeared all that knew him. His sparkling personality shone like the sun – warm and compassionate for those around him. He made everyone feel special and left his mark on all those he came in contact with. Harold truly spent a lifetime making others laugh.

Many people today believe that times are tough, but in 1930, our country was in the depths of the Great Depression. People were without jobs and many families waited in long lines for some times their only meal of the day. The country was rampant with despair and many one time wealthy men could only afford to purchase hope. Despite these dismal times, Howard and Mildred (Marzolf) Frisbie of Alma, Michigan, were celebrating the birth of their only child, Harold, on November 23, 1930.

Harold spent his growing up years on their big old farmhouse in Alma. Raised in the Catholic faith, Harold was an altar boy and at one time earned the title Altar Boy of the Year. On several occasions, he spent the day caddying for the priests in the church. Aside from going to the area schools, Harold was a typical young man who participated in Eagle Scouts and played football, basketball and tennis at Alma High School. After graduating, Harold attended Alma College earning a degree in Economics while minoring in English and French. He came to possess an excellent understanding and usage of the English language and was constantly on a quest to learn more. During his high school and college years, Harold found time to work and managed a local movie theater to earn some extra money.

In 1953, Harold was drafted into the U.S. Army and proudly served his country during the Korean War while stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Upon being discharged, he took a job at National Cash Register for a brief time before starting his career in the insurance field as a claim adjuster at Auto Owners Insurance in Lansing, Michigan. Shortly thereafter, Harold was sent to Kalamazoo to help with the vast amount of claims they were fielding because of the recent hailstorm that came through. As fate would have it, while in town Harold was set up on a blind date with a young lady named Phyllis Grosser. A true fairy tale, it was love at first sight for the young couple and they were happily married on June 7, 1957, at Kanley Chapel at Western Michigan University. After residing in Lansing for four years, they decided to move to Portage and have lived there ever since.

Phyllis brought more than just her love into Harold life. She had a son, Bill, from a previous marriage. Harold loved Bill so much so that he adopted him shortly after the wedding. The Frisbie family soon grew to include three more wonderful children: Robert born in 1960, Julie born in 1962 and Tim born in 1965. The bustling household was always filled with love and laughter. Harold was fun loving and adventurous, traits his kids loved. The family loved to sit down to dinner together, but it was never a place to expect serious conversation. His kids were always well equipped with all the “big boy” toys such as snowmobiles, mini bikes, a pontoon boat for fishing and a motor home, which he refused to level. Harold was a big kid at heart and had as much fun as they did. What usually started out as a typical family vacation, invariably turned into an adventure of a lifetime due to some crazy mishap that made the trip unforgettable.

Harold loved to spend time with his kids. He became actively involved in Little League as a team manager for his son Bill’s team and also served as the league’s secretary at one time. In his 25 years of service with the Little League, Harold was instrumental in getting South Portage Little League to divide into West Portage. Due to his great dedication to the league, the junior youth boys’ field was named “Frisbie Field” in his honor.

Harold was certainly a dedicated man with many skills. Besides 25 years with Little League, Harold was also a faithful employee of Auto Owners Insurance for 41 years before retiring in 1996. In this time, he worked his way from a claims adjuster to the branch manager of the Portage office. His outgoing personality was greatly admired by his co-workers and he was affectionately called “Happy Hal, the claimant’s pal.” Because of his “golden rule” work ethics, Harold was said to be legendary in the insurance field.

But life was not all work and no play for Harold. He loved to golf and was a member of the Oakland Hills. He often boasted about playing at Pebble Beach, where all the pros go, even though he had to bribe the caretaker just to set foot on the course. A huge WMU football and basketball fan, Harold held season tickets to their games and enjoyed going tailgating before the games. An avid collector, Harold proudly displayed his model trains every Christmas. His collection had grown to include over 100 ceramic buildings in the village. Books and movies were another of his vast collections numbering over 1000 of each. He was a well-read man and particularly enjoyed reading about World War II and airplanes of that era. Harold loved jazz and swing music, especially Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. In his younger years, he enjoyed playing saxophone and drums in a jazz band. In his more quiet times, Harold enjoyed gardening and had a real green thumb when it came to roses and peonies. He often blew his own horn when it came to the fact that his peonies were ant free. Harold has always had a soft spot for dogs, especially his dachshund Lucy, who was his constant companion. Family has always been the cornerstone of Harold’s life, so when he found out six years ago he had two half sisters, he happily welcomed them with open arms and fostered a strong loving relationship with them both.

Harold’s witty personality was always very apparent. From his great stories to his comical renditions of song lyrics to liven up a conversation, he had a special knack of making you laugh. A constantly happy man, Harold sprinkled all situations with his wonderful sense of humor and wanted those around him to enjoy themselves. His personality won him many friends and he was always ready to contribute a story to make a point or enliven a gathering. Even in his last days, he never lost his sparkle. When his beloved wife was helping him out of bed, with his arms around her neck he began counting out “one and two and three” as he took a few last dance steps with the love of his life.

Harold R. Frisbie, age 73 of Portage, died on Friday, July 23, 2004. Harold’s parents: his stepmother, Fern, his mother and father-in-law, George and Elizabeth Grosser, his brother-in-law, Gerald Grosser, and his sister-in-law, Lucille Grosser, preceded him in death. Members of Harold’s family include his wife, Phyllis Frisbie; his children: William and Susan Frisbie of New Hampshire, Robert and Naomi Frisbie of Portage, Julie and David Mastenbrook of Mattawan and Timothy Frisbie of Portage; his grandchildren: Christopher and Julie Frisbie of New Hampshire, Ryan and Kaleen Frisbie of Missouri, Matthew Frisbie of Wisconsin, Caleb, Ben and Nate Frisbie of New Hampshire, Katie and Nathan Frisbie of Portage, Mindy and Eric Rood of Mattawan, Steven Mastenbrook of Decatur, Kristy and James Higdon of Hastings; 5 great-grandchildren; his sisters: Denise Haskell and Eileen Frisbie of Grand Ledge; his brother-in-laws: Richard and Lorraine Grosser of Vicksburg, Nellie Grosser of Portage, Herald and Pauline Grosser of Portage, George Grosser of Kalamazoo; and his sister-in-law, Marjorie and Henry Esman of Oshtemo.

Learn more about Harold, view his Life Story film, and visit with his family and friends on Sunday, July 25, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Rupert, Durham, Marshall & Gren Life Story Funeral Home, Portage Chapel, 5975 Lovers Lane. Private burial of his cremains will be at Fort Custer National Cemetery. Please visit Harold’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can read his life story, archive a favorite memory, order flowers or make a memorial donation to Hospice of Greater Kalamazoo or Portage Free Methodist Church.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution of famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8: 35-39.