Milton William “Bill” Frey II, Ph.D.
Milton William “Bill” Frey II, Ph.D., 91, of Shell Point and Sanibel Island, Florida, passed away peacefully on January 23, 2026, trusting the Lord and surrounded by family.
Born June 23, 1934, in Roxborough, Pennsylvania, Bill earned degrees from The Pennsylvania State University and the University of Connecticut, completing his Ph.D. in Management at Penn State. He served on the faculties of Penn State and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he was also assistant dean, and later served as President of the Eastern Academy of Management.
In 1972, Bill transitioned to entrepreneurship, becoming a successful Florida homebuilder and developer. He moved to Sanibel in 1975 and lived there for 40 years, moving from there to Shell Point. He built several hundred piling homes on Sanibel doing business as Sanibel Homes. Along with his son Barry, he started Frey and Son Homes, which continues today.
A man of deep faith, Bill was a devoted member of Sanibel Community Church for nearly five decades, generously supporting church leadership and building efforts. He was widely known for his philanthropy, including leadership in the Southwest Florida Community Foundation (now Collaboratory), which named him the Lee County Philanthropist of the year in 2007, and support of the LOGOS Ministry (now GenOn Ministries) and endowing Carson Scholarships at 15 Lee County schools, which gave him a Visionary award in 2009. He loved his family, travel, flying, and photography.
Bill is survived by his wife Lorraine; his sons Eric, Roger, and Barry; three daughters-in-law; nine grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Doris Wenger Frey.
Bill died in faith, with a grateful heart, unafraid of death, anticipating a glorious future, and in the presence of family. He is and will be sorely missed by his family and friends.
A visitation will be held February 9, 2026, from 6:008:00 p.m. at Harvey-Engelhardt Funeral Home in Fort Myers. A memorial service will be held February 10, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Sanibel Community Church.
Memorial gifts may be given to GenOn Ministries (https://genonministries.org) or the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida (https://harrychapinfoodbank.org).