Mosley Luther Frederick

My Unce M L was so wonderful. He always remembered you. He made you feel special all the time. When he talked to you he had a sparkle in his eyes. He loved eyeryone. As a little girl, my Dad would always take us to his store, we use to walk down the aisles, but especially to the candy aisle. He would always tell my Dad, Oh Wayne let them have the candy, its on me. At one time my Grandmother also worked part time in his store. He enjoyed having her there.He had so much compassion for everyone. When my father, Wayne Frederick Sr died a woman at his funeral stood up to talk. She said she didnt know my father but she was friends with ML and she came to show respect to the Frederick Family.. She said that ML Frederick always took care of her and her family. That was who my Uncle was, loving, kind, generous, sweet, helpful and so giving. He gave from his heart and asked nothing in return. People shopped in his store on a regular basis because him alone.He always stopped by to see my Dad , his brother on a regular basis. I will miss you Uncle ML. I know one day I will see you again. Until then , God Be With You Always. You were a bright shining light on this earth , now you are an Angel shining down on your family and us. I will always love and remember you forever. Love your niece, Marla Frederick Hufton

Dear Aunt Shirley, Greg, Alison, Natalie and Joseph, Please accept my sincere condolences for your loss. I hope you will also extend them to other family members should you feel it appropriate to do so. All my memories of Uncle M.L. are of a strong and caring individual who worked very hard for his family, within his community and in his business. While I cannot begin to feel his loss as it impacts those closest to him I truly hope his actions and your experiences with him during his life help you and those who miss him have a great amount of loving memories and experiences on which to fall back to help with grieving and sense of loss. Growing up in Rocky Mount was very positive for me even though I wasnt aware of it at the time. A significant portion of the positive things accrued to living next to Aunt Shirley and Uncle M.L. and having the benefit of their family closeness with my mother and Ray Frederick. It seemed to me that both Uncle M.L. and Ray were both men of courage and positive character. I recall a specific incident which speaks directly to Uncle M.L.s personal courage and willingness to get involved directly in situations others would likely avoid. It occurred on a very busy day for Fredericks Grocery in its original location before its move to Sunset Avenue. I was at the store either helping bag groceries or visiting with my stepfather. A fight between two individuals broke out in the street directly at the front entry. The shouting and ruckus alerted those inside the store. Uncle M.L. immediately exited the front door straight into the crowd. It turned out at least one of the assailants had a knife (my memory is of a kitchen knife normally referred to as a butchers knife, in other words easily visible and an obvious threat) which quickly ended up in Uncle M.L.s hands. I saw him grab the knife with both hands, break the blade into two pieces and throw it aside. The situation cooled quickly and the crowd thinned back to the normal grocery store flow. I cannot recall if Uncle M.L. suffered any cuts or injury but I believe no big deal was made of any such issues and he went back to work. I am sure this was not common at all but I imagine the community appreciated his willingness to take action where necessary to make his premises safer for his customers. That Uncle M.L.s grocery business remained viable for its community for so many years is, in my opinion, no mean feat. If the evolution of the grocery business into supermarkets and beyond is considered, I feel it to be a major individual achievement. He brought his business to an area of Rocky Mount that may not have had the benefit of a truly local food business and certainly not of such a proprietor willing to treat patrons as individuals, know his marketplace intimately and see things through as he did for as long as he could. The extent of his business knowledge in extending the viability of a small localize business became very, very apparent to me when I stopped in to visit the store when it was operating on Sunset Avenue when I was visiting the area. We talked about families, children, everyones health and then I recall asking him how his business was doing. He began discussing how things had evolved from the small grocery store format to a different product layout more likely to be found in community-based convenience stores but with adjustments he felt would work better for his customer base. I ended up staying a couple of hours and kept asking questions until our stomachs started growling as dinnertime approached. I recall that being the last time we talked at the store but I left completely convinced I had been schooled by the best. As time passed, during occasional visits to Uncle M.L. and Aunt Shirleys home while in the Rocky Mount area I enjoyed hearing how Gregs career and family grew and seeing their joy and pride as parents in how things were going. Uncle M.L.s impact on my life during the years in Rocky Mount when Ray Frederick and my mother were married was significant and positive. I regret not tel

I didn’t know Mr Frederick but I know from my family research he was a first cousin of my late grandmother. Her name was Ruth Frederick White. Her father Gradie Frederick and Mosley Frederick Sr were brothers. May they all rest in peace.