Alphonse Emil "Al" Frei

Heaven welcomed a new saint the day Al Frei reached those pearly gates.

Born in Denver, Colorado, Al was the only child of Swiss-born immigrants Emil and Marie (Weber) Frei. When Al was born, his parents and grandmother, Bertha Weber, were raising his orphaned cousins Joseph, Leo, Frank and Mary Weber as their own. Al adored his chosen siblings. As a boy, Al helped his father care for St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church and run his “Frei and Sons” Christmas tree lot over the holidays. Despite his father’s offer to inherit the business, Al would choose a different career for himself.

In 1957, Al asked Margaret Ann Guerin (Peggy) to dance. Before long he was driving her to St. Joseph’s Hospital so they could spend extra time together before her nursing shift. On June 27, 1959, Al married Peggy at Regis Church in Denver. They began their rich life together, raising 8 children, 22 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren to date! They celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary six days after his death, Peggy on earth, Al in heaven.

Al and Peggy moved from Denver to Torrance, California in 1963, and Al began his airline career in finance and accounting as the Comptroller for Continental Airlines. He played a key role in developing the airline’s first ever computer reservation system. In 1981, he left Continental to become the founding CFO of America West Airlines which would grow into one of the nation’s largest commercial airlines and the first to be headquartered in Arizona (Tempe). Beloved by the employees, Al was credited not only for his integrity and skill as CFO, but for his instrumental role in shaping the culture of the company. If you’re lucky enough to encounter a former AWA employee from that era, their stories of “Uncle Al our Financial Pal” will warm your heart. Al loved his work, cherished his colleagues, and became a generous mentor and friend to others. He retired from the airline industry in 1994 to pursue leadership roles in several other companies before finally laying down the briefcase in 2010.

Al was a humble and devoted Catholic who valued service, commitment, and relationship. He and Peggy were active parishioners at St. James in Redondo Beach, CA and St. Theresa in Phoenix, AZ. They also spent many years on the national leadership team of Marriage Encounter, leading weekends to enrich couple relationships and teaching skills for lifelong love.

Al had many hobbies and interests, but sports were at the top of his list. He was good at them too. He played high school football and always hoped one of his children would attend Notre Dame so he could justify his lifelong obsession with Fighting Irish football. (Sorry dad, keep praying!) He cheered on the Suns in their heyday, saw the Angels in the World Series, shared season tickets to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and applauded any of his kids’ and grandkids’ colleges in NCAA sports. He and Peggy made annual ski trips a family affair, and he loved golfing, especially with his friends and family. In fact, his kids and grandkids are still trying to match his hole-in-one (July 21st, 2015, 17th hole, Tempe Rolling Hills). None of his children have done it yet. Al remains a legend.

To know Al was to witness tremendous generosity and servant leadership in action. He devoted countless hours to the Phoenix chapter of St. Vincent de Paul, held board positions at several publicly traded companies and participated in the CEO Forum, an executive roundtable group, created to provide mentorship and support to C-suite leaders across the Phoenix area. Al was an exceptional listener, making every person he met feel like they were the only one in the room.

Al’s deepest passion and most cherished legacy is his family. He and Peggy were married for almost 7 decades and somehow he made each of his eight children absolutely certain they were his favorite! Their children include daughter Jane (Peter) Conrad, parents of Meredith (Travis) Redmon, Keenan (Lizzie) Conrad, Jillian (Charlie) Grady and grandparents of Ben, Avery, Kerry, Patrick and Sloan; son Mark (Brenda) Frei, parents of Anthony Frei (Kelsey Martinez Lopez), Addison Frei (Tahira Clayton), Bailey Frei (Nick D'Agostino), Guerin Frei (Hannah Webster) and grandparents of Amelia, Nolan, Penelope and Luca; son Tim (Lisa) Frei, parents of Beck, Brett and Carter Frei; son Chris (Vanessa) Frei, parents of Maggie and Katie Frei; daughter Alene (Marin) Miller, parents of Molly (Riley) Hale and Nick (Olivia) Miller and grandparents of Ava; son Eric (Diane) Frei, parents of Carly, Joe and Emily Frei; daughter Aly Frei, mother of Sam and June Howard; and son Nick (Mary Beth) Frei, parents of Anna, Campbell and Claire Frei. Each member of Al's family will forever cherish unique and special memories of their beloved Dad, Granddaddy, and Great Grandaddy.

In retirement, Al and Peggy adopted a puppy named Gertie, who quickly claimed the title of favorite "child." Gertie brought them great joy, traveled with them to meet the other grand-dogs, and remained a faithful companion to them for 14 years.

In early 2021, Al and Peggy moved from their home in the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix to Mirabella-ASU, in Tempe, AZ, bringing them back to where it all began. Al spent the last two-and-a-half years of his life being well cared for and bringing joy to the staff on the memory care unit there.

His passing was precious – just like him. By some miracle, his entire family was together – (in person, and on Zoom) for a bedside Mass. We shared a heartfelt sign of peace. Father Rob anointed him, and mom gave him his last Communion. Each child and grandchild got to tell him they loved him. And then, blessed with all he needed and wrapped in the love of his whole family, he fittingly went home to his Father in Heaven on Father’s Day. (But not before celebrating 88 the week prior with a hearty helping of German chocolate cake!)

Al’s family hopes you will join us to celebrate his life and honor his legacy. Bring your stories, wear bright colors, and plan to join us for the reception. Al loved being with friends and family, telling stories, and eating together. What better way to honor him than to spend time doing exactly that.

A Visitation will be held from 5-8:00pm with a Rosary at 7:30pm on Friday, August 28, at Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 E. Indian School Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85018.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, August 29, at 10:00am at All Saints Newman Center, 230 E. University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85281.

In celebration of Al's beautifully optimistic spirit, we encourage colorful attire!

Reception immediately following the Funeral Mass at Mirabella, Tempe, 65 E. University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85281.

Additional details will be provided on Legacy.com and www.whitneymurphyfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Al Frei can be made to:

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul - Phoenix, 85002 at https://www.stvincentdepaul.net/?form=donate.