Services were held celebrating the life of Edward Wiley “Corky” Frith on August 16 at 11:00 AM, with the interment taking place at Hedrick Cemetery in Eva, Louisiana at 4:00 PM. Visitation was held on August 15 from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM. All portions of the service were under the direction Roseneath Funeral Home of Mansfield. First Baptist Church of Mansfield Pastor, Dr. Thumper Miller, officiated and Deacon Chairman Dana Deas delivered the eulogy. He is survived by his mother, Marilyn Gordon Frith; brothers Gary Frith of Baton Rouge and Terry Frith and wife, Beth, of Lafayette; sister Lana Frith Clark of Mansfield; nephews Gary, Perry and Ben Frith, and Corey Clark. Nieces include Erin Clark, Crystal Morgan, Rebecca Frith and Susannah Frith. Great nieces and nephews that were very special to him were Bricelynn, Vanessa, Rosalie, Trent, Eric, Seraphine, Gavin, Mallory, Nathan and Grace Ann. Preceding him in death were his father Edward Frith, twin nephews Brice and Brady Clark; brother-in-law, Larry Clark; and his maternal grandparents, Frank and Birdie Gordon of Eva and paternal grandparents, Corry and Minnie Frith. Corky was born on October 12, 1956 at Ft. Sill near Lawton, Oklahoma. He had recently been in a horrific tree cutting accident and was recovering at home at the time of his death on August 14, 2016. Corky resided with his family in several places around Louisiana, including Ridgecrest, Monterey (where he attended elementary school), Tallulah and Zachary, where he graduated from Zachary High School. At sixteen years of age, Corky enrolled at Northwestern University in Natchitoches. During his years at NSU, Corky excelled in his classes carrying a 3.5 grade point average and above. Through his academic assistance and tutelage to numerous Demon athletes, which he offered for free, Corky was able to not only help them remain on various athletic squads, but graduate with a degree. Upon leaving school, Corky was employed in the industrial field in Baton Rouge and Houston, where he worked for Brown and Root. When Brown and Root had an opening in Mansfield, Corky jumped at the chance for the transfer opportunity. In 1981, Corky joined his family that had settled in Mansfield and it became his adopted home. He became a faithful member of the First Baptist Church, and enjoyed having conversations with others where he was able to demonstrate his knowledge of Theology and the Bible. He was a member of “The Outlaws” Men’s Sunday School class. He was also a lover of many genres of music and had a vast knowledge of musicians and musical theory. Corky was an avid sports fan, especially when it came to all LSU and NSU sports as well as the New Orleans Saints. He showed his dedication weekly in a sports column that he wrote for “The Mansfield Enterprise” for over a decade. He also was a freelance sports writer for several other periodicals throughout the state. His love for sports came easy, since he himself was a dedicated athlete. He was a seasoned runner, placing in the Shreveport Super Derby Run and several Baton Rouge marathons. With his completion of these runs, Corky was accepted to compete in the Boston Marathon, which he was able to complete twice. He also played “A” league baseball as a pitcher and had dreams of going pro before an injury prevented that dream to materialize. Serving a pallbearers were nephews, Ben Frith and Corey Clark; great-nephew Trent Frith; brother, Terry Frith; Gary V. Evans and Eric “Woody” Long. Honorary pallbearers were Dana Deas and members of the First Baptist Church’s “The Outlaws” Sunday School Class. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the First Baptist Church of Mansfield’s Children’s Ministry or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN.
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