Marvin C. Frisby Jr., a chemical operator for the DuPont Co., dies at 64

Marvin C. Frisby Jr., 64, of Mantua, a chemical operator for the DuPont Co., died Sunday, June 7, of brain cancer at the Samaritan Center, a hospice in Voorhees.

In 1973, on his 18th birthday, Mr. Frisby began working at the DuPont Chambers Works, a chemical manufacturing complex in Deepwater, N.J., on the eastern shore of the Delaware River.

The complex was used to make gunpowder in the 1800s and then components for the atomic bomb during World War II. By the time Mr. Frisby worked there, the facility was making dyes, and starting in the early 1980s, just chemicals, according to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency history.

He retired in 2013 with 40 years of service.

Known as “Chuck,” he was the oldest of 11 children born to Marvin C. Frisby Sr. and Maxine Gaines. He and his siblings were raised in Paulsboro, and Mr. Frisby never strayed far from South Jersey. He lived in Paulsboro until 1995, when he moved to Mantua.

He graduated from Paulsboro High School in 1973.

“I haven’t seen Chuck since high school when we were kids,” Robert Keegan of West Deptford posted in an online message. “I would be at his house on many occasions to trade baseball cards with him.

“He loved the San Francisco Giants, so I would always trade him my Giants cards for his Phillies cards,” Keegan recalled. “My condolences to the family. He was a great guy.”

Mr. Frisby was a jovial man who knew how to have a good time. As a young adult, he spent many hours playing chess with friends at the Oven Door, a restaurant in Paulsboro.

Later, he developed a passion for running, and over the years competed in three marathons and many shorter races.

His proudest achievement as a runner was qualifying for and running in the 1995 Boston Marathon.

His first wife was Anna Wallace. They divorced. In 1982, he married Karen Marie Pietuszka. They divorced in 1990. Both survive.

Mr. Frisby enjoyed going out to eat and to the movies with his family. He also liked attending family gatherings, watching old black-and-white movies on TV, and spoiling his French bulldog, Pablo.

“Chuck was known for his sense of humor and generous nature, and will be missed,” his family said in a statement.

Besides his father and ex-wives, he is survived by daughters Erika, Bianca, and Lauren; five grandchildren; five brothers; four sisters; and nieces and nephews. (One of his brothers, Mark, is a former operations manager and senior executive at The Inquirer.)

Plans for a memorial service were pending.

Donations may be made to the National Brain Tumor Society via https://braintumor.org/take-action/ways-to-give/