July 3, 1945 – June 18, 2022
Our friend and colleague, Dr. Kathryn Frerichs, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday morning, June 18, 2022. She was an Institute and Society member for many years until she and her husband retired and moved to northern Michigan. Kathy was an MPI instructor, Co-Chair of the Adult Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Educational Program for 7 years with Dr. Richard Fish, and Co-Chair of the Patient and Colleague Assistance Committee with Dr. Marvin Margolis for 12 years.
A gathering of family and friends to celebrate her life will be held at the family home on Saturday, July 30 from 2:00-6:00 at 569 S. Shore Drive, Northport and also in West Bloomfield on Saturday, August 27 from 2:00-6:00 at 6815 Alden Drive.
1945 ~ 2022 NORTHPORT – Kathryn (Kathy) Marie Frerichs died unexpectedly on the morning of June 18, 2022 just a couple of hours after having breakfast and playing word games with her husband. Kathy was born on July 3,1945 in Detroit, Michigan to Edmund and Mildred (Becker) Young. She graduated from Southeastern High School in 1963 and attended the University of Michigan for two years before transferring to Wayne State University. There she earned BS, MA, and PhD in Psychology degrees by 1974. She subsequently completed post-doctoral training in clinical psychology at the University of Windsor, graduating in1985; and adult psychoanalysis at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute, graduating in 1997. She worked for the Red Cross, taught at U of M- Dearborn and Marygrove College in Detroit, practiced at two different clinics, and then started her own very successful private practice in Farmington Hills, Michigan. In 2004, she and her husband, Donald (Don) Frerichs, purchased a cottage in Northport, Michigan and fell in love with the Leelanau community. Kathy retired in 2014 and they moved permanently to Northport. Kathy and Don were wed on September 10, 1965. They soon had two wonderful sons that were (and are) the treasures of their life: Jay Robert and fiancee Deborah Anne Zellen, and Todd Alan and wife Noelle Jeanne (Schneider). She cherished her grandchildren Luke Jacob, Jacob Scott, Chase Christian, Kayleen Shea, Addison Mercedes Zellen, and Walker Mitchell Zellen. She is also survived by her niece, Lori Nethery, who was like a daughter to her; and Lori’s three lovely children, Brian, Steven and Lisa (Cody Carroll and their son Everett); and a beloved cousin, Ron VanDriesen. Kathy was preceded in death by her parents Edmund and Mildred Young, in-laws Jacob and Ethel Frerichs, brother James E Young, sister-in-law Joyce (Frerichs) Cosby, and nephew Scott Cosby. Kathy loved so many, so much: her husband, her family, her friends, her community, and her garden…yes, her garden. She was a graduate of the MSU Extension Master Gardner program. She so loved nature and its wonders. To behold the joy she found in tending and walking thru her garden, lush with native plants and trees, and sharing it with others was amazing. Her vegetable gardens were also a treasure for feeding her family and friends. Kathy was also involved in her community. She was an avid reader, participating in two book groups. She served on the Northport Planning Commission, was President of the Northport Women’s Club, and a member of the Little Garden Club, the Dark Sky Committee of Leelanau Energy, and the League of Michigan Voters. She was also active with the Northport Lions and the Leelanau Conservancy. All those who she ever touched will miss her; her family will miss her even more. She was our rock.
Share condolences with Kathy’s family
Arrangements are with the Martinson Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Leelanau.
Send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Kathryn M. Frerichs