Carpentersville official a man of 'integrity and honor'

To most in Carpentersville, James Frost was a village official committed to improving the quality of life in the community where he grew up, met his wife of 53 years and raised his family.

But to those who knew him best, his family and closest friends, he was so much more - an athlete, an Army veteran, a devoted father, husband and parishioner.

Frost's family remembered him Monday as "a man of integrity and honor" in a simple and traditional funeral service and Mass at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in West Dundee.

Frost, 76, died last week after a long illness.

An accountant, Frost served on Carpentersville's zoning board of appeals from 1992 until 2003, when he was elected to the village board. After serving one term on the board, Frost lost his seat in 2007, but later was appointed to the planning and zoning commission.

St. Catherine's pastor Monsignor Timothy Doherty said Frost's public service was his way of showing thanks for his blessings.

"Jim also wanted to give back because of what God had given him," Doherty said. "The people in the village of Carpentersville knew they had someone who would look out for their best interests."

Frost's daughters recalled a man who excelled at sports, sharpshooting and fixing things; an umpire for the Tri-Cities Little League; a public official who helped build a fire station and a wastewater treatment plant; a proud graduate of Dundee High School; and a longtime usher and lector at St. Catherine's.

"Most of all, to me, he was my hero," daughter Tracey Massie said.

Massie's sister, Kim Meier, recounted the milestones in her life that her father was a part of, including a screening of "Help!" at the local movie theater, her first concert -John Denver at the old Chicago Stadium - and Ron Santo Day on Aug. 28, 1971.

Frost was there for the hard times, too. Meier told how her father took her to the hospital cafeteria after her husband had been in a serious accident. She was too distraught to eat, but her father tried to persuade her otherwise.

"He said, 'How about just a couple carrots for your dear old dad?'" she recalled.

Frost was buried at the Dundee Township Cemetery in East Dundee.