Richard Elvin “Rick” Fritsch, of Millersville, Pennsylvania, died June 5 at age 52 after a three-year battle with cancer. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he received a BS degree in music education from Elizabethtown College in 1977 and a BA in sacred music from Lebanon Valley College in 1981. A church organist for 35 years, he served at First United Methodist, Millersville; Grace Lutheran, Lancaster; Zion Lutheran, Penbrook; St. Paul Lutheran, Millersville; Lakeside Lutheran, Harrisburg; St. John Lutheran, Beatrice, Nebraska; St. Paul Lutheran, Lititz; St. Stephen’s Lutheran, Lancaster; and most recently All Saints Anglican, Lancaster. He was a member of the American Guild of Organists, served as dean, sub dean, secretary, treasurer, auditor, and board member of the Lancaster chapter, and held the Service Playing and Colleague certificates.
Richard Fritsch also was a graduate of the Atlantic School of Trust and Penn State Paralegal Program and worked for many years in banking, most recently as trust officer and assistant vice president at M & T Bank, Harrisburg. He is survived by his wife of ten years, Jennifer Rhodes Fritsch.
Marshall Stone died March 17 in Seattle, Washington, at age 76. Born in Seattle on December 21, 1930, he was a graduate of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Following military service in the U.S. Navy, he won a Fulbright scholarship to study organ composition and pipe organ construction in Belgium. In 1968 he opened a workshop in Alexandria, Virginia, then moved to Biglerville, Pennsylvania, where he salvaged, repaired, and built pipe organs.
For over 10 years he was director of music at Washington Street United Methodist Church in Alexandria, where he helped design a new organ in 1972. He also served at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria and at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia. In 1979 he moved to Key West, Florida, where he did organ maintenance and repair and served as organist at the Key West Church of Christ, Scientist. In the late 1990s he moved back to Washington State, working as organist and choirmaster at First Presbyterian Church in Port Townsend.
Lou Ann Smith-Stoops died March 25 in Hagerstown, Maryland, at age 59. Born July 21, 1947, in Joplin, Missouri, she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Indiana University–Bloomington. She was organist-choir director at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Washington, DC. Mrs. Stoops served as dean of the Waco AGO chapter and was a member of the Cumberland Valley chapter. She is survived by her parents, her husband, three stepsons, two sisters, one brother, stepmother, stepfather, and two stepgrandchildren.
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