Obituary of Virginia Jarma Frison

August 13,1928 - January 14, 2019

Virginia (Jean) Frison. Age 90 of Riverview.

Beloved wife of the late Claude. Loving mother of Paul (Debra) Frison, Claudia (Dennis) Rowland, Christianna (Kevin VanZandt) Frison and Patrick (Kimberly) Frison.

Dearest grandmother of Jamie Miller, Joshua Frison, Nicholas Frison, Chelsea Frison, Anthony (Shelbie) Frison and Jacob Rowland. Dear great grandmother of Samantha Miller, Vincent Frison and Quinn Frison.

Family Tribute

Jean was born in Glen Lyon, Pennsylvania on August 13, 1928 to Licinio and Madelena DiMario and big sister, Antonia. Licionio worked in the coal mines and Madelena managed the home. The family moved to Detroit when Jean was a toddler and eventually settled in River Rouge.  Antonia and Jean attended mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church where Jean received her first communion at age 11.  Jean graduated from River Rouge High with the Class of ’46, completing her studies of Office Practices and Skills.

Following high school Jean, like Antonia, was forbidden to pursue an office career in spite of her studies. Her disappointment gave way to elation when she met the love of her life Claudio (Freeze) Frison through family connections.  They had a traditional courtship and at age 18, Jean married Freeze on August 9th, 1947 at Our Lady of Lourdes Church.

Following their marriage Jean and Freeze lived with her in-laws, Emilio and Eugenia Frison, in Detroit where Paul and Claudia were born.  In 1956 the family moved to their new home in Southgate and soon grew with the arrivals of Christianna and Patrick.  Jean and Freeze’s lives were rooted in faith and love, and the family prayed the rosary every evening after dinner.  Jean had many hobbies during her early family life including sewing, cooking Italian food and baking.

Jean worked in the home as mother and caretaker of her family. In 1963 Freeze fell victim to his first heart attack.  He was hospitalized for six weeks while Jean held down the home front with four children ages 2 to 13. In January of 1972 Freeze had his fourth and final heat attack leaving Jean widowed at age 43.

With all of her children in school Jean turned to work outside of the home. She held jobs at McDonald’s, Curly’s Fruit Market, and the cafeteria at the Ford Parts and Redistribution Center in Brownstown until she found a career with Security Bank and Trust.  She held several positions in her 17-year tenure at the bank, culminating in her post with Human Resources. Upon her retirement in 1993 she embarked on a new career in child care, beginning with her own grandchildren, Chelsea, Anthony and Jacob.  When the grandchildren grew older, she continued her work with preschoolers for years to come at a local child care center near her home.

Jean was fun-loving and gregarious, belonging to several organizations and clubs through her life including the Saint Pius Altar Confraternity, the Widows Club, the Aquinas Mothers’ Club, and the Southgate Seniors to name a few.  She was kind and caring, always placing the needs of others before her own.  Jean valued family above possessions and cherished moments spent with her children and grandchildren.  Although her time with Freeze was short in comparison to her life, their love was timeless and their relationship irreplaceable.  She will always be remembered for her commitment and devotion to her family.