Donald Wayne Fry

Donald "Don" Wayne Fry passed away on November 16, 2021 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the age of 89. Don was born in Seminole, Oklahoma on October 15, 1932 to Rodney S. and Lillie Francis Fry. During his long life, Don participated in many great adventures and realized many professional achievements.

As a young man of 15, Don had a most memorable adventure. As an Eagle Scout he landed a summer job at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimmaron, New Mexico. Don was stationed at Urraca Cow Camp where he provided guidance to scouts as they experienced the great wilderness of Philmont. His experiences at Philmont preceded a lifelong love of hiking, fishing, and hunting throughout the Southwest.

During the Korean War in 1951, at the age of 19, Don joined the United States Navy. Don served as a Radio Repairman and Electronic Technician on Guam and in Corpus Christi, Texas prior to his Honorable Discharge in 1955.

Don married LoRheda Louise Davis in 1954 and by 1955, two of his five daughters had been born. Don began engineering studies at the University of Oklahoma in Norman; however, soon realized that raising a family which now included three additional daughters, took precedence. In the early 1960's the Fry family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where Don worked for the FAA.

1964 found the Fry family in Phoenix, Arizona where Don began his contributions to the burgeoning computer industry where he worked for the General Electric Computer Division. Don was instrumental in the development of time-sharing operating systems. While living in Phoenix, Don was a founding member of the Arizona Archeological Society.

In San Jose, California by late 1966, Don worked for IBM and by 1967 he and his "Okie Coder" friends incorporated as Reactive Computer Systems, Inc. which was eventually bought out by Memorex.

Relocating to Santa Fe, New Mexico, from 1972 to 1999 Don was at the helm of his own time-sharing business, Southwestern Computer Services, which provided dial-up accounting services to many local business people. During this time. he developed one of his closest friendships of his life with Holt Priddy, which continued until Don's death.

In late 1999, Don and LoRheda retired to Cody, Wyoming where they continued many outdoor adventures and pursued their love of history as members of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. In 2014, Don and LoRheda left Wyoming and returned to Albuquerque to live closer to their family.

Don is survived by his wife of 67 years, LoRheda Fry, and his five daughters; Gwen Fry, Cathy "Catt" Cobb, Johanna (John) Hale, and Sally Wolford of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Vicki Fry of Sacramento, California. Don is also survived by 5 grandchildren: Cassandra Mendonca, Elizabeth Blakley, Erin Withers, Vanessa Cobb, and Leonard "L.J." Wolford, Jr., and 6 great-grandchildren of whom he was very proud.

Don was preceded in death by his only sister, Janet Johnson whom he dearly loved along with his nieces, Karen Talbert and Stephanie Dueck. His son-in-law, Wendell Cobb, also preceded Don in death.

A memorial will be planned in the late spring/early summer, to take place near the Pecos Wilderness which was a landscape he hiked, fished, and hunted in for decades.