John A Fridy

John A. Fridy, Ph.D., professor emeritus of mathematics at Kent State University, died in mid-November following a short illness. Dr. Fridy was born in September in Lancaster, PA, to Wayne and Helen Fridy, the third of their “three Js”: Jere, June and John. He grew up in Palmyra, PA, where he earned high school varsity letters in basketball and track.

 He started trumpet lessons at the age of nine and played his first semi-professional performance at age 12 with the Washington Band of Annville, PA. He attended Penn State where he played in the Blue Band and earned a bachelor’s degree (physics) and master’s degree (math). He married a fellow Penn State student and worked briefly for the Naval Ordinance Research Laboratory on the Penn State campus with a small team of engineers and scientists to design the first “homing” or self-guided torpedo. Dr. Fridy then headed south to pursue a doctorate in mathematics at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

 Once he earned his doctorate, Dr. Fridy spent the next three years as an assistant professor at Rutgers University. He then found his home at Kent State, joining as an associate professor tasked with helping to develop its new PhD program in mathematics. Professor Fridy spent the next 33 years on the Kent State faculty, mentoring 14 PhDs from across the country and around the world who teach at colleges and universities from North Dakota to Saudi Arabia. While Dr. Fridy was a full professor and a pillar of the graduate program, he always loved undergraduate classroom teaching, and in 1995-96 he received the prestigious Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award.

 Following the end of his first marriage, he married his beloved wife, Carol Govedich Fridy in 1971. They settled in Twin Lakes and happily raised their family there.

 Highly regarded in his field specializing in infinite series, he published 40 research papers in journals across six continents and in 2023 was named among the 2% most cited scientists by Stanford University. But his family and friends knew him as a loving father, quick-witted storyteller, avid golfer, capable hunter and enthusiastic wine-maker. The purchase of the family “farm” in Monroe County served as his hunting base and while wild turkeys spoiled his hopes of growing his own wine grapes, he spent many happy days there target shooting and hunting deer, turkey, grouse and squirrels. He pursued his love of golf as an active competitor in the university’s faculty-staff golf league.

 But his greatest love perhaps was music, and in his mid-40s he resumed actively playing the trumpet, eventually adding the valve trombone to his repertoire, and joined local musicians’ unions. His love of jazz and dance standards drew him to play with Swing Machine, Meadowbrook Big Band, Dave Marshall’s swing/jazz and his own TGIF Band. He enjoyed other musical styles, and he was also a member of the Canton Concert Band, the Stark County Fair Band, and his own Renaissance Brass Quartet.

 He is predeceased by his wife Carol, who died in 2020; his sister, June Ginand, and her husband, veterinarian Dr. Donald Ginand; as well as one niece. Survivors include his brother Jere (Myrna) of Pennsylvania; daughters Linda (Dave Osterhoudt) of California and Susan (Robert McElhinney) of Washington, D.C.; and sons Jay (Jo Ann) of Cincinnati, and Jeremy (Tiffany) of Kent. He also has seven grandchildren, Ken and Katelyn Osterhoudt, Hannah and Ian Fridy, Ace Fridy, and Charlie and Finn McElhinney; and nine nieces and nephews.

 In keeping with Dr. Fridy’s wishes, there will be no funeral service, but friends and family are planning a celebration of life.

Services in care of Bissler and Sons Funeral Home and Crematory, 628 W. Main St. Kent, OH 44240.