William R. Fromme

Beloved father, grandfather and brother William R. Fromme of Davidsonville, MD passed away peacefully surrounded by family at his home on September 2, 2019, after a two year bout with cancer.

Bill was born August 6, 1942 and was the oldest of three sons of Galen F. Fromme and Margaret A. Fermier Fromme of Baltimore, MD.

He was a 1960 graduate of the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute where he was president of his senior class. Following his high school graduation, Bill attended the United States Naval Academy where he was a proud member of the Naval Academy’s 1962, ’63 and ’64 National Championship lacrosse teams. Upon graduating with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering, he attended flight school in Pensacola, FL where he received his pilot wings in December 1965. Bill’s active duty tours involved flying C-130s in Naval Transport Squadron Three (VR-3) based at McGuire Air Force Base, NJ and VQ-3 based at NAS Agana, Guam. Following his time in Guam, Bill flew briefly as a pilot for Northwest Airlines until 1970 when he returned to active duty during the Vietnam War for Airborne Early Warning Squadron 121 (VAW-121) where he flew EC-1A aircraft from the deck of the USS Wasp and earned his coveted Centurion Award for 100 carrier landings. 

Bill earned a master’s degree in Management from George Washington University and a PhD in Civil Engineering from The University of Maryland.

Following active duty, Bill pursued a 45-year long career in Aviation and Transportation. He served from 1972 - 1974 as a consultant for Booz, Allen, & Hamilton in Washington, D.C., from 1974 - 1981 in various senior positions for the Department of Transportation including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), from 1981 - 1987 as Acting Administrator New England Region and Director of Office Aviation Safety for the FAA where he managed all FAA Accident Investigations, from 1987 - 1995 as Acting Secretary General and Technical Director of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, in Montreal, Canada. During his time at ICAO he worked closely with senior level representatives of industry and government from virtually every country of the world and supervised ICAO's Future Air Navigation Systems (FANS) Program. He served from 1995 - 1998 as Vice President, Strategic Planning of ARINC in Annapolis, MD, from 1998 - 1999 as Chief Executive Officer of Intelligent Management Solutions Inc, from 1999 - 2014 as a principal consultant with CALIBRE in Alexandria, VA where he managed planning and analysis support to the FAA communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) research and development programs and flight safety initiatives fundamental to the FAA Next Generation Air Transportation System (NEXTGEN). Most recently he served as Assistant Manager of Risk Management Safety for the Motor Vehicle Administration in Glen Burnie, MD.

Bill was an active member of his church and community. He attended Grace Lutheran Church in Bowie, MD almost every Sunday for the past 20 years where he served as Counsel President from 2012 - 2013, and additionally as a Sunday school teacher for several years.

He was a proud resident of Harbor Hills in Davidsonville, MD since 1996, where he served as the Home Owners Association Security Representative and liaison between the community and local police for 10+ years.

Bill had a notable impact on the Annapolis women’s lacrosse community. From 2000 – 2009 he coached over 30 junior women’s lacrosse teams, the majority under his own Central Lacrosse Club (CLC) organization, and at one time 3 teams in one season, one being the Annapolis Area Christian School women’s varsity team. Several of his players went on to play college lacrosse, many on lacrosse scholarships.  

Bill’s interests and hobbies included riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, spending time on his boat, enjoying his 1955 Buick and classic cars, reading, listening to his favorite classical and 50’s music radio stations, and visiting with friends, family, neighbors, colleagues and canine pals.

Above all, he cherished being a father and grandfather, often remembered as saying “my greatest pleasure has been watching all of you grow up.”

He is survived by his brother Ben and Kay Fromme of Columbia, MD, brother Daniel Fromme of Columbia, MD; son Brian Fromme of Towson, MD, son and daughter-in-law Eric and Brenda Fromme of Stanhope, NJ, Brian and Eric’s mother Terri Bracken of Towson, MD; daughter Mary Fromme of NY, NY, daughter Maya Fromme of Washington, D.C., Mary and Maya’s mother Elena Kanina of Churchton, MD; and grandchildren Raymond and Linda Fromme of Stanhope, NJ.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, September 7, 2019 at 11:30 AM at Grace Lutheran Church in Bowie, MD.