Michael George Frey, 60, of Ashland passed away on Friday, August 7th due to a brief illness at the Ohio State University Arthur James Hospital in Columbus where he was surrounded by his loving family.  He was born in Norwalk on February 1, 1955.  He graduated from Ashland High School in 1973.  He married the love of his life, Heidi (Tadijanac) on May 10, 1980.  He is survived by his parents, Robert and Phyllis (Heiser) Frey, his wife, son Michael Jr.  (Megan Burchett), daughter Lauren, sister Nancy (Craig) Patterson, brother Robert, grandchildren Quinn and Gage and many nieces and nephews.  Friends and family of "Big Mike" or "Big Poppa," as he liked to be called, may remember him by his love of motorcycles, garage sales and shopping at his favorite mall, Glenn's Surplus.  He was a frugal man who always asked others why they paid full price at regular stores when they could just go to Goodwill.  And then would ask them why they were going to Goodwill when they could go curb shopping during Spring Cleaning.  Those that have dined with him know that he liked his hash browns "extra crispy" and his Burger King burgers with "heavy onion," which the Claremont location employees honored him with a Christmas card one year addressed "To: Heavy Onion."  He loved fireworks and celebrated his country's freedom every 4th of July by blowing up a small part of it; perhaps followed by a friendly visit from the city police.  He was an automobile enthusiast, preferring the company of rare and unique cars throughout his life such as a BMW 507, AMC AMX and a recently purchased Sunbeam Alpine; which is surprising for a man who will be remembered by his children for always driving ten miles per hour under the speed limit.  His idea of a "road trip" involved driving U-Haul trucks for family members as they moved around to states like Maryland, Texas, Florida, Colorado and Wyoming, all while still driving the same ten miles per hour under the speed limit.  He was an accomplished sailor, captaining his houseboat on the high seas of Charles Mill Reservoir.  He had a knack for picking out the perfect gift for any family member during the holidays including architecture books for his daughter, a deli slicer for his son and a cell phone for his wife back in 1995 before most people had even heard of them.  Although he rarely talked about music, he had a certain affinity for Mariah Carrey's music around the holidays.  But for those who knew him, Mike will be remembered for his warm, loving demeanor and the fact he never knew a stranger.  In fact, he would give those strangers some of his loose change if their cardboard sign read "Why lie? It's for booze."  He was a constant teacher, trying to pass on the knowledge he learned from the thousands of books he read to anybody who was willing to listen.  His presence in our lives will leave a huge void in all of our hearts and we can't wait to reunite with him again in Heaven where he will be waiting for us with a batch of his famous smoked steaks.  A funeral service will be held on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015 at Trinity Lutheran Church with calling hours starting at 4:00 p.m, with the service beginning at 5:00 p.m.  A celebration of life event will be held at the Charles Mill Pavilion next to the Messer Center at 6:30 p.m.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Ashland County Cancer Association, 380 E. 4th St Ashland, OH 44805.  Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.fickesfuneralhome.com