John Philip (Jack) Fray

John "Jack" Philip Fray Jr. died peacefully on July 3, 2019 at Bridgeport Hospital. He was born on July 11, 1930 in New Haven, CT and grew up in Fairfield. He attended Fairfield Prep and Fairfield University and then went on to earn his degree at Yale Law School in 1955. He practiced law in Fairfield for more than fifty years, a town that he loved and where he settled to raise his family. Always civic-minded, John recently received a citation for fifty years of service to the Fairfield Kiwanis Club and is remembered by many for his easy smiles as he sold peanuts at the Fairfield Memorial Day Parade for many decades. He was also a dedicated parishioner at St. Pius Church in Fairfield, where his deep love of music led him to sing in the church choir for more than forty years. Once Jack took a few singing lessons for a role he landed in "A Hundred and Ten in the Shade" in the 1970's, he became a triple threat: dancer, singer and actor. From there, he danced, sang, acted and directed in a variety of local community theater groups such as The Nutmeg Music Theater, The Comedy Club, the Downtown Cabaret Theater, the Patterson Follies, Stageworks, the Moonlighters and the Hoot Owls. A dedicated trumpeter since childhood, Jack helped put himself through college and law school after his father died by playing in polka bands in the greater Bridgeport area in the 1950's. Of all of his musical passions, however, tap dancing was always the greatest and well into his 80's, wherever an audience could be found, Jack would break into a little soft shoe in the spirit of his idols, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. After graduating Yale Law School, Jack was drafted into the Navy and was sent to Officers Candidates School where upon graduation, he became a J.A.G. Officer for the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. It was in Washington where Jack met the former Claire Fredricks. In addition to a myriad of song and dance collaborations both before and after their marriage, Jack and Claire raised three future music lovers in Fairfield. In addition to his wife Claire, Jack is survived by sons Scott (Dawn) of Norwood, MA, Chris (Chip) of Fairfield, CT and Brendon (Amy) of Monroe, CT, his three grandchildren, Connor, Devon and Erynn Fray, his cousin Jim Monde as well as many beloved nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister Nancy (Fray) Fielding and his parents, John Philip and Adeline Moss Fray. Friends may call on Tuesday, July 9 from 4-8 p.m. at the Spear- Miller Funeral Home, 39 S Benson Rd. Fairfield, CT. Friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial which will take place at St. Pius Church, 834 Brookside Drive, Fairfield CT on July 10 at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at the Mountain Grove Cemetery (not far from the graves of P.T. Barnum and Tom Thumb!) The family requests that memorial contributions be made to The Alzheimer's Association, 200 Executive Blvd., Suite 4B, Southington, CT 06489. For information or to offer an online condolence please visit www.SpearFuneralHome.com