William B. Frothingham, Jr. (Bainy) died on Thursday, August 26, 2021 in Scarborough, Maine. He was born on August 26, 1930 in Boston, Massachusetts, the child of William B. Frothingham and Harriet Amory (Bangs) Frothingham. Bainy grew up in Medfield, Massachusetts, attended Groton School, and graduated from Harvard College in 1952. At Harvard he was the varsity football game captain his senior year for the game against Brown University in which his classmate, fullback Tom Ossman, scored five touchdowns—a Harvard record which has stood for more than 65 years.
Following graduation, he joined the Army, attended Leadership School at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in Pennsylvania after basic training, and was posted to Germany where he served 18 months in the 1st Infantry Division, Artillery Headquarters Battery in Erlangen and later in Wurzburg.
In September 1954, Bainy began a 41-year career in commercial real estate. He worked in the property management department of Minot, deBlois and Maddison for five years, then joined R. M. Bradley, working in property management and commercial brokerage. He then joined Meredith and Grew, where he specialized in investment property brokerage for 15 years. He served on a number of non-profit boards in the Boston area, including New England Deaconess Hospital, Salvation Army, and the U.S.S. Constitution Museum.
In 1956 Bainy married the love of his life, Pollie Thompson. After living in Boston for a year they moved to Manchester, where they raised their two children. Bainy enjoyed being host and grillmaster for many evening get-togethers with family and friends, and on weekends played golf and tennis. As a southpaw, he took great pleasure in placing a “wicked” spin on his tennis serve. As a matter of pride, he hand-trimmed the hedge in front of his house carefully, with no leaf ever out of place. Following his retirement from the real estate business, in 1998 Bainy was elected to the Manchester Board of Assessors and served in that role for 12 years, the last five as Chair.
In May 2010, Bainy and Pollie moved to Piper Shores, a retirement community in Scarborough, Maine to be near their daughter’s family. While there, Bainy (under Pollie’s direction) added hundreds of daffodils, as well as roses and other annuals, to the gardens outside of their apartment. He also served on the Scarborough Board of Assessment Review through 2016.
Bainy greatly valued his association with the many friends he made over the course of his lifetime. He was predeceased by his parents and his wife, and is survived by his son William B. Frothingham, III., daughter C. Amory Ford, and grandchildren James B. M. Ford and William H. T. Ford.
His family wishes to thank everyone at Piper Shores for their wonderful care and kindness to both him and Pollie over the past 11 years. Interment will be arranged by the Hobbs Funeral Home, South Portland, Maine. Online condolences may be expressed at http://www.hobbsfuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Bainy’s memory may be made payable to the U.S.S. Constitution Museum, P.O. Box 291812, Boston, MA 02129-0215.
