Richard Dale Frye

Richard Dale Frye (Sifu Rick Frye) 59, of Prescott Valley, Arizona passed away at home surrounded by his loved ones on March 26, 2019. He was born on July 22, 1959, in Mesa, Arizona. He was preceded in death by his parents Delores “Jane” Green Frye, and Kenneth Dale Frye. He leaves behind his loving wife of 31 years, Rita Frye, his four children Tina Morrison (Ray), Craig Welle (Leah), Sonya Glodo (Isaac), Keesha Parker (Jarod), his brother Robert Frye (Debbie), sisters Julie Duke (Rodney) and Laurie Heintz (Robert), brother-in-law, Rick Laipple (Andrea), Stepmom, Diane Frye, 13 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren and his dedicated Kung Fu family.
He served in the Army with the 82nd Airborne. He worked with his father at Frye’s Photo Center in Mesa, Arizona. In 1985 he moved to Prescott to work at The Camera Center. He and Rita opened The Self Defense Academy in 1996, where he taught Wing Chun Kung Fu for 17 years. He impacted many lives in our community by teaching children respect, life skills, and selfdefense. In 2012 he received his real estate license, and proudly signed on with Realty Executives of Northern Arizona, which very much became a part of his extended family.
He was passionate about many hobbies including photography, Wing Chun Kung Fu, magic, balloon animals, making Halloween and Christmas props, and his newest love in life, HARLEY’S.
Riding his bikes gave him much joy. He liked to go camping, fishing, shooting and most importantly spending time with his beloved family.