Obituary of Michele Frey

Michele Elizabeth Frey (née Riley), born April 3rd, 1970 entered her heavenly home on April 24th, 2020. She had just reached her milestone 50th Birthday. She is preceded in death by her children Andrew and Danielle, her cousin Danny Riley, and several aunts, uncles, and grandparents. She is survived by her husband of 19 years, John Robert Frey, her 17-year-old son Nikolas Charles Frey, her parents Richard and Barbara Riley (née Tygielski), her sisters: Lynda Arnold (Tony), Susan Fry (Matthew), Heather Rivasplata (Jorge Carlos), and Laura Thiele (Patrick). She is also survived by 17 nieces and nephews, 4 great nieces and nephews, several aunts and uncles, and many cousins. Michele was born and raised in Plymouth Meeting, and Villanova, Pennsylvania. As a young adult she lived independently in Philadelphia before relocating to Ocean City, NJ and finally Erma, NJ. Throughout her life, Michele showed unconditional love to all and achieved triumph in her life. She was born with Spina Bifida, a birth defect, causing her paralysis from the waist down. Despite her condition and numerous related health complications throughout her life, Michele refused to let Spina Bifida define her. At the time of her birth, Spina Bifida was not well researched or advanced in treatments. Yet from the beginning, Michele showed her true strength - a strength that led her to beat the odds, leaving the medical community stunned. Michele was brought up to believe in her gifts, her special abilities, and how to achieve her dreams. She graduated from Lower Merlon High School in 1991 and held several jobs in the community. Michele fell in love with the man of her dreams in 1998 and was married in June 2001. Michele and John formed a strong bond and nurtured their son Nikolas. Michele loved Nikolas beyond measure and together they supported each other's goals and achievements. Nikolas was her whole world. She taught Nikolas so many life lessons of unconditional love, holding family close, and valuing the genuineness of others. Most importantly, she showed Nikolas and many others that her disabilities never defined her. She was a mom, wife, sister, aunt, niece, friend, neighbor, and church member. Michele volunteered her time in her church community and always held a special place for those in need. Her extended family and friends knew that they would receive a birthday call, text or a Facebook message to lift their spirits. Michele held an instrumental role in ensuring the larger family felt connected and supported by each other. Despite her disabilities, Michele showed true adversity and loved to travel. She traveled to Boston. New York, D.C. Disney World, California, New Orleans, Philadelphia and many other trips. It was always a priority for Michele to attend holidays with her family. She became a master of many public transportation systems, often leading the community battle to ensure that they were handicap accessible. As we cherish her memory, we ask that you take the love and strength Michele showed and reciprocate it out into the world. Michele will be held close in both her family and friends' hearts forever. We love you Michele. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Nikolas' Go Fund Me account. Thank you, https://www.gofundme.com/f/college-fund-for-nikolas-frey?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1