William Frey has spent his life thus far in good company.

Frey grew up on a farm in Mahoning Township; in the eighth grade, he dropped out of school to work on the family homestead. He was one of 12 children.

When Frey was about 20, he left the farm and soon married his first wife, Eleanor. The two moved to Tamaqua and started their family, first having their daughter Joan, who died in 2004, and then their son, Richard.

In 1944, when he was 24, Frey was drafted. He joined the Navy, working as a cook during World War II. He stayed in the service until 1946.  

When he came home, Frey and Eleanor bought a house in Tamaqua. Frey worked as a truck driver, transporting coal, sand and stone until he retired at 62 years old. He even owned a truck of his own, which he leased out.

In 1985, Eleanor died. About a year later, Frey sold the house. Another year after that, he married a lifelong friend named Pauline Myers. Myers died about four years later.

Frey married a third time, to a woman named Edna Mertz. The two lived together in Lehighton until Frey could no longer care for Mertz, who had Alzheimer’s. They both moved into The Palmerton, a senior living community. He stayed with Mertz until she was moved to the memory care unit. Mertz passed away earlier this year, a few months after Frey moved back into The Palmerton, where he is currently staying.   

The first house Frey bought with Eleanor in Tamaqua still sits in the same place today - right behind Leiby's Ice Cream & Restaurant. That’s where Frey celebrated his 100th birthday on Saturday. He was surrounded by dozens of family members.

“We were here before they build Leiby’s,” Richard Frey, who came up from Florida for the party, said with a chuckle.   

Of his life, Frey said simply, “I can’t complain.”

Frey doesn’t believe there’s a secret to a long life. He said he’s been married three times, and in each marriage, he lost his spouse.

For Frey, life - whether it’s 100 years long or shorter - isn’t about lasting to the next day, month or year. It’s about spending your time with the people you love.

“He thinks companionship’s important,” Frey’s stepson, Dennis Mertz, said.

Caption:

William Frey celebrated his 100th birthday Saturday at Leiby's Ice Cream & Restaurant in Tamaqua. DANIELLE DERRICKSON/TIMES NEWS