Keene, NH Malcolm Fryer, Jr., age 83, of Keene, passed away October 4, 2017 from natural causes. He was the son of the late Malcolm Fryer and the late Lillian Fryer and his sister the late Marika Anders (aka Marcia Jackman). Fryer was the former husband of the late Judith Young Fryer of Chelmsford, Mass. His youngest son, Eric Fryer, passed away in 2002 from complications of a brain tumor. Fryer is survived by his eldest son, Stephen Fryer, of Jaffrey, NH, and Stephen’s wife Christine. He is also survived by his grandchildren Stephen Fryer, Jr., and Colin Fryer, whom he called the rodents, Nicholas Fryer and Kendyl Fryer, step grand daughter Brittany Rondeau and great grand children Trenton Fryer and Makenna Fryer. He is also survived by many cousins, nieces and nephews of the Fryer and the Anderson families.
Fryer was successful in two careers. After graduating from the University of New Hampshire he entered the chamber of commerce management field, serving as the chief executive or as senior staff of chambers throughout New England, including Hartford, Conn., Lowell and Cambridge, Mass.
In 1973 he changed careers to commercial/industrial real estate working for then Leggat McCall & Werner, and then for Spaulding & Slye in Boston. He worked in this field in eastern Mass. and southern N.H. until his retirement in 1998.
During this career Fryer created the Wannalancit Office & Technology Center in downtown Lowell, by connecting and renovating a 400,000 s/f mill complex into the largest office/academic/industrial multi-tenant building in the city. Other projects he brought about were the Interstate Executive Center office park in Chelmsford; the Dye House, which was another historic renovation in Lowell; and numerous other projects throughout the Lowell region. Fryer often received national and regional recognition and awards for his creative and successful historic renovations. From the late 70’s to the early 90’s Fryer and the brokers in his firm completed more commercial and industrial sales and leases than any other firm in the region.
Fryer collected turtles, non-living type, for many years and assembled a collection numbering more than two hundred, including a huge hand carved piece [c.1785] from England via France, numerous crystal, china and other valuable jewel pieces. He especially held dear those which his many friends and family members would bring to him after their various trips or school projects. Fryer’s manifesto, which was prominently displayed in his office, was “A turtle makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.”
Fryer attended Governor Dummer Academy in South Byfield, Mass. before graduating from T.C. Howe High School in Indianapolis, IN. Before entering the U.S. Army for three years, he attended Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN where he joined the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. Upon returning from the service he entered the University of New Hampshire and in his senior year was elected president of the Kappa Sigma Chapter on that campus.
While in the Army Mr. Fryer served in the 10th Infantry Division, serving as an Infantry Squad Leader and as company Training NCO, while attaining the rank of Sergeant. He served in Germany for over two years in the mid 50’s.
Mr. Fryer served on numerous professional and community Boards of Directors, including United Funds, Chambers of Commerce, Boy Scouts and others, and served many of them as President. He was a member of the Rotary in each of the communities in which he lived. He was a Mason, a member of the Lowell Scottish Rite, and the Aleppo Shrine.
Following his retirement Mr. Fryer served on the Boards and as an officer of the condominium associations where he lived. These included condos in Westford, Boston and Nashua, where he served as President for four years.
Burial will be private. The family requests that in lieu of flowers those wishing to remember Mr. Fryer please send their remembrances to Brain Tumor Foundation, Dana Farber Cancer Center, ? Dr. Robert Wen, 45 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02115-6013
