Virgil Frizzell Obituary

Aug 17, 1913-March 11, 2006 Virgil Allen Frizzell 92, a retired insurance agent, died March 11, 2006 at Brookdale Village at Skyline in Colorado Springs, CO his home for the past 14 years. He had previously lived in numerous parts of the west, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Pasadena, Chowchilla, Carmel, and Salinas, CA, as well as Pioche, NV. He was born August 17, 1913 near Nogales, AZ, where his father, a conductor with the Southern Pacific Railroad, his mother, a secretary in a local bank, and her brother ran a small cattle operation on leased federal land. As a youth, he traveled alone by train each summer to visit his paternal home, grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins in Vanceburg, KY. He started his education in the one-room school at Tubac, AZ, now part of the Tubac Presidio State Park. He graduated with the first senior class of Beverly Hills High School, Beverly Hills, CA, where he played varsity golf and wrote for the school paper. He also held a part-time job with the Los Angeles Times. He attended the University of California at Los Angeles, and, like many of his generation, suspended his studies to serve in the military during the Second World War. Mr. Frizzell, born into a railroad family, developed an understanding of rail and maritime transportation infrastructure at an early age. He worked for and traveled with the Dollar Line before entering college. After attending Officer Candidate School, as a U.S. Army Captain, he assisted in organizing the Port of Los Angeles in support of Allied activities in the Pacific theater. Shortly after the war, Mr. Frizzell and his family moved to a small farm in Chowchilla, CA. He grew cotton, potatoes, and corn and managed a cotton gin. The family then moved to Salinas, CA where he purchased part interest in a fertilizer service business, The Triangle Fertilizer Company. He subsequently sold his interest, retrained himself as a life insurance agent, and attained the CLU certification. He worked with New York Life for more than 30 years before his retirement. Mr. Frizzell, a Mason, was a life-long golfer, played with a near-scratch handicap in his prime, and continued to play until he was nearly 90 years old. He enjoyed and excelled at bridge and gin rummy. Mr. Frizzell is survived by his wife of 14 years, Virginia E.L. Harry Frizzell of Colorado Springs; two sons: Virgil A. Frizzell, Jr. of McLean, VA, and Louis Boisot Frizzell of Salinas, two daughters: Barbara Anne Elliott of Carmel and Linda F. Tidwell of Prunedale, all of CA, a step-son, John C. Harry, of Colorado Springs; a step-daughter, Judy L. Laine, of Salinas; 16 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and a cousin, Marjorie Ann S. Smith of Lawrenceburg, Indiana. He was preceded in death by his eldest son, Robert Byrne Frizzell and by his former wife of 35 years, Barbara B. Frizzell. The family will hold memorial services at Grace Church & St. Stephen's in the Spring.