GLEN ALFRED FRY

Glen A. Fry, Retired Air Force Master Sergeant, 81, died Monday, January 13, 2014, in Kansas City, MO.
Visitation will be at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 4101 E. 105th Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64137 (105th and Grandview Road) on Tuesday, January 21, between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm, with Rosary at 6:30 pm. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the church on Wednesday, January 22, at 10:00 am. Burial with full military honors will be at the National Cemetery at Fort Leavenworth, KS, that day at 2:30 pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Disabled American Veterans (http://www.dav.org/) or your local military charity.
He was born June 28, 1932, in McKeesport, PA. He was preceded in death by his parents James E. and Hazel Lamb Fry; sister Jean Montrenes; and brothers Edward Vincent and James Conrad Fry. He is survived by his sister Deloris Seperek of McKeesport; brother and sister-in-law Charles Ted and Olga Fry of Erie, PA; son Jerry Fry of Kansas City; daughter and son-in-law Susan and David Ward of Richland, WA; daughter and son-in-law Theresa and Daniel Julkowski of Lee's Summit, MO; and daughter Elizabeth Fry of Santa Fe, NM; six grandchildren Benjamin, Christopher, Matthew, Kevin, Irene and Esthela; and 4 great-grandchildren. In his last days he was surrounded by all his loving children as he passed peacefully in his own bed in the house he built.
He found his calling in high school as a skilled carpenter and promptly joined the military knowing this would be his career, starting with the Navy when he was 17 (because he liked the uniforms and thought it would help him with the girls) and transferring to the Air Force a year later (because they would pay him more). He had service during the Korean and Vietnam war, was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, Kadena AFB in Okinawa, Beausejour in Manitoba Canada, Clark AFB in the Philippines, Avon Park Bombing Range in Florida, Elmendorf AFB in Alaska, and always rotating through Grandview, later Richards-Gebaur, AFB in south Kansas City. He was promoted through the ranks to Master Sergeant and retired with a combined 21 years of service in 1970, shortly after he designed and built his home. He was very proud of his service and was a lifetime member of the Retired Enlisted Association and the Air Force Sergeants Association.
He found his second career as a housing and building inspector, receiving the International Conference of Building Officials' Certified Building Inspector in 1975, Certified Combination Inspector in 1976, and Certified Light Commercial Combination Inspector in 1996. He worked for the City of Kansas City, MO, and was their first Combination Inspector in the 1970s and early 1980s, took a break building a house and four duplexes in Raymore, MO, before becoming Raymore's Chief Building Inspector in the 1990s and 2000s until his final retirement.
Throughout all this time he continuously made improvements and upgrades to his home, keeping his skills sharp. And he always told his children that this was still their home: to visit at anytime unannounced, to stay overnight in their bedrooms, to spend time together when Elizabeth or Susan visited. He was especially excited when Elizabeth visited because she brought her service dog, Cody, or when Theresa brought her dog, Ginger, and both dogs were overfed with treats that dad kept at his chair.
We are grateful to the many caring members of Crossroads Hospice who helped care for him in the last week. Funeral arrangements and announcement provided by Cullen Funeral Home of Raymore, MO (http://www.cullenfuneralhome.com/). 816-322-5278