Kermit Edward Frye

Kermit Edward Frye, 84, of Bloomington, Minnesota, died peacefully Thursday, July 16, 2026, at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, MN, with his family at his side. Kermit was born September 30, 1941 in Mankato, Minnesota, the son of Edward Leigh Frye and Selma (Hohenstein) Frye. He attended high school in Mankato before graduating from Wheaton High School in 1958. He went to Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota for three years and then went to Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois for two years where he received a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering in June 1963. He also received a B.A. degree from Macalester College in August 1963. He later earned a Master's degree in computer information systems from the University of Minnesota in 1999. On August 31, 1963, he married Janet "Jan" Clara Root at First Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Theirs was a true partnership in raising their children, and in nearly everything else they set their minds to as anyone who ever saw them working on genealogy side by side or square dancing could attest. Kermit spent his career as a computer hardware and software engineer in Government Systems division of Control Data Corporation, Ceridian, and General Dynamics, in an era when that meant working on machines that filled rooms and writing the future one line at a time. His contributions helped support Apollo astronauts in space, protected our military in national defense, developed early precursors of the Internet, and much more. Outside the office, he found other problems worth solving. For Kermit, a fascinating topic was the past. He and Jan threw themselves into genealogy, and Kermit was far more than a hobbyist. Kermit and Jan were longtime members of the Minnesota Genealogical Society, where Kermit served a term as president, and helped start the German Interest Group as its first president, which later became the Germanic Genealogy Society (GGS). He helped build the tools other researchers depend on: with a small group of friends and colleagues from GGS, he co-authored Germanic Genealogy: A Guide to Worldwide Sources and Migration Patterns, which became a standard reference used by anyone tracing German-speaking ancestors. Decades on, working genealogists still name it among the books they can't do without. Closer to home, he wrote The Old Bloomington Cemetery, documenting the pioneer burial ground of his adopted city stone by stone. For the Minnesota Genealogical Society he compiled the five-year index to the Minnesota Genealogist. It was precise, patient, and unglamorous work, done so that other people's discoveries could be found. Countless researchers have leaned on his work without ever knowing his name. That suited him fine. Kermit wasn't all archives and index cards. He and Jan danced with the Bloomington Swirlers, their hometown square dance club, serving as the club's King & Queen for a year. He was an active bridge player with friends and fond of cribbage, chess, and backgammon with family. His faith was important to him. He was a past member and involved with the church at Bloomington's Atonement Lutheran Church for many years before continuing his journey across town at Saint Michael's Lutheran Church, where he was deeply involved with the congregation. Kermit is survived by his sons, James (Susan) of Hudson, WI (Megan, Alexander, Justin), and Steven (Leah) of Bloomington, MN (Benjamin, Anastasia, Rowan McGrath, and Indigo); sisters Karyl (Marilee) of Hastings, MN and Korinne Gilbert of Sandy, UT; niece Vicki Wilkin and nephews Brian Storm, Brad Strom, and Kyle Gilbert; special friend Marilyn Gerads; and many cousins and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Jan in December 2016, his daughter Sharon "Shari" Frye in 1975, his brother Curtis in 1942, his father Edward in 1982, and his mother Selma in 2007. Visitation will be Wednesday, July 22, 2026 at 4pm-7pm at Washburn-McReavy Bloomington Chapel, 2300 W. Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington, MN and Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 10am at St. Michael's Lutheran Church, 9201 Normandale Blvd, Bloomington, MN with church service to follow at 11am. He will be interred at Union Cemetery in Maplewood, MN. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to research and support for Lewy body dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or kidney disease, or to the Germanic Genealogy Society or the Minnesota Genealogical Society, in keeping with his life's passion. Kermit spent decades making sure other families' histories would never be lost. Now he is reunited with Jan and Shari and becomes part of his own family's history, a history that will be kept carefully. He taught us how.

Kermit Edward Frye

September 30, 1941 - July 16, 2016

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