The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
FREY TO SELL BUILDINGS
Funeral home business to remain open
After 75 years in business, one of Lorain’s family owned funeral homes will undergo some changes in the near future.
The properties of the Walter A. Frey Funeral Home, 700 W. Erie Ave., will go up for auction at noon, Nov. 9.
But the auction is for the buildings, not the business, said Walter A. Frey Jr., owner and operator of the funeral home started by his parents, Helen and Walter A. Frey Sr.
“The most important thing, the Walter A. Frey Funeral Home is continuing on,” Frey said. “The business is definitely going on.”
Many people planned and paid for funeral arrangements, and those arrangements will go forward, he said.
“I have lots and lots and lots of people who pre-plan, and I wouldn’t want to let them down,” Frey said.
“As far as the sale of the property, I think perhaps somebody else could utilize that property better than we are at this particular juncture.”
— Walter A. Frey Jr., owner
“Let them down in the sense of, disappoint them.”
Frey said he intends to celebrate the business’ 75th anniversary soon.
“That’s an exciting time for a business to have been around for that many years,” he said.
However, the effects of two hip replacements have made it difficult to keep up with maintenance, Frey said.
He said he feels he cannot do justice to maintain a vital piece of property that sits next to Lorain City Hall.
“As far as the sale of the property, I think perhaps somebody else could utilize that property better than we are at this particular juncture,” Frey said.
He noted the rejuvenation taking place at the Broadway Building and other efforts to revitalize downtown and Broadway.
“I think that’s going to be something bright for the community,” Frey said. “I think that whole area’s going to be really booming and really developing, and I hope my property is part of that.”
Two sales will take place, according to plans of Kiko Auctions.
The first is the funeral home, which is zoned for business. The second is the three homes at 225, 233 and 239 Washington Ave.
The homes face Washington Avenue, but sit just northwest of the funeral home; a connected parking lot sits behind all the structures.
The same person could bid on and buy all the structures.
However, the two sales will not be packaged into one bundle to bid on, said Brooks Ames, auctioneer and realtor for Kiko Auctions.
The three houses on Washington are rented and could be used as single-family homes. They will not be sold separately.
“You’ve got to buy all three of them,” Ames said.
As for the funeral home, it is a prime location on West Erie Avenue next to City Hall, the Lorain Police Department and Lorain Municipal Court, he said.
Buyers need to put down 20 percent of the sale price and close within 45 days.
The funeral home has an appraised market value of $135,130, according to the Lorain County Auditor’s Office.
The house at 225 Washington Ave. has an appraised market value of $45,190; the house at 233 is appraised at $18,740; and the house at 239 is appraised at $20,490, according to county auditor’s records.
Along with licensed funeral direction, Frey is a psychologist, cosmetician and organist.
He graduated from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, the Northern Institute of Cosmetology and Oberlin College.
Frey also was the star of “Episode #12: Walter,” in “The Amerikans,” a series of short documentaries about people in northern Ohio, made with assistance from the Community Foundation of Lorain County.
The movies are made with a collaborative approach to reveal “the extraordinary richness of the inner lives of ordinary people.”