Charles Dee Fry

Charles Dee Fry, a resident of Coushatta, LA passed away on September 18, 2014 at the age of 90. Mr. Fry passed away from complications of cancer in Bossier City, LA at Colonial Oaks Nurse Care. He was born on the 14th of April, 1924 in Depew, Oklahoma and spent his early childhood in the Cherokee Nation and later attended high school in Monument, New Mexico. Mr. Fry was the son of Hubert Dennis Fry and Effie Bell Sportsman Fry. He served in the United States Army during World War II, fought in the European theatre, endured most of the rest of the war as a prisoner in Germany, and eventually escaped to the Allies. He was a highly decorated combat Veteran. After the war, he attended New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico where he played and lettered in football, basketball, and baseball. In the early 1950s, he moved to El Dorado, Arkansas, and worked for Monsanto Chemical Company and Lion Oil Company, where he developed his skills for his lifelong career as a draftsman for petroleum exploration and engineering. In 1957, he moved to Shreveport and established his own business, Fry's Drafting Service, which he maintained for more than 25 years. Known to many of his business associates as "Charlie," he was loved for his good sense of humor, as well as his meticulous work. During his years in Shreveport, Charles continued his earlier developed interests in sports by coaching youth football and baseball. He married Shirley Posey in 1983 and retired to Coushatta. He became very active locally in the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Nationally, he was heavily involved in the association of American Ex-Prisoners of War, for which he served several years as the National Director. Charles was preceded in death by his first wife, Esther Marie Miller Fry, and by his elder sister, Alice Stills. His survivors include his wife, Shirley Posey Fry of Coushatta, his son, Michael Fry of Durango, Colorado, step children Joni Bass, Jenni Bass, and Daryl Bass, all of Coushatta, Denny Bass of Baton Rouge, and his sister, Maxine Landers of Chico, California. Fry had ten grandchildren, five great grandchildren, and four nieces and four nephews. Visitation will be held on Monday, September 22^nd at Rose-Neath Funeral Home in Coushatta, Louisiana beginning at 9 am. Funeral services will be at 10 am in the Chapel. The burial ceremony will follow at Forest Park Cemetery West at 1 pm with full Military Honors, which is located at 4000 Meriwether Road in Shreveport, Louisiana. All services will be officiated by Dr. Nathan Davis, assisted by Bro. Bill Hines. The family would like to thank the staff at Colonial Oaks Nurse Care and Gamble Hospice for their loving care and support. Also, special thanks to Naleene Sloan, Charles's ex-POW social worker at the VA Hospital.