Caroline Frey

Caroline Frey (maiden name McAdam) passed away peacefully on July 9, 2023 at the age of 90.

She is survived by her devoted and loving husband of 71 years John I. Frey, her son, John W. Frey, and his partner, Susan Wiederman, of Clifton NJ, her daughter, Carolyn Baum, and her husband, Howard, of Green Pond, NJ and her sister, Theresa Sorrentino of Neshonic Station, NJ. She is also survived by her 4 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren; Glenn Frey, and his wife Torrey, who have children Kennedy and Sawyer residing in Austin, Texas; Brian Frey, and his wife, Lily, who have a son Jacob residing in Henderson, Nevada; Eric Baum, and his wife, Danielle, who have daughters Charlotte and Blake residing in Chicago, IL.; and Evan Baum, who resides in New York City. 

Caroline was born on June 15, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of William and Caroline McAdam, and was one of nine children. She met John when she was 16 and famously (at least in her family’s circle) turned down his date offer twice before finally accepting his third request. John’s perseverance paid off and they married on June 25, 1952. They shortly thereafter moved to Clifton where they built a life together. Caroline worked at the store Popular Merchandise in Passaic for over 20 years where she made some lifelong friends. In 1977, John and Caroline moved from Clifton to Wayne where they have lived together for the past 45+ years.

Faith and family were defining pillars in Caroline’s life. She was a devoted parishioner of Sacred Heart in Clifton and Our Lady of Consolation in Wayne. Caroline loved her grandchildren immensely and was an extremely active participant in their lives, even teaching a couple of them to ride bikes. She was renowned for her baking and cooking skills and her grandchildren could be frequently found huddled around her kitchen table for crepes, pancakes, and bacon for breakfast or family spaghetti Bolognese nights. Her famous tassies were legendary around the holidays! Caroline will be profoundly missed by all who knew her.