Francis A. Fregiato

Frank Fregiato, a lifelong resident of Belmont County, passed away at his home on Thursday, November 27, 2025.

Frank was preceded in death by his father, Frank Fregiato, and his mother, Mary (Baldasarre) Fregiato, and a granddaughter (Lucille). He is survived by his wife, Cynthia (Lavy) Fregiato, their daughter, Tessa Keyes (Nick) of Cleves, Ohio, and their son, Dustin Fregiato (Erica) of Noblesville, IN. Frank and Cynthia share five grandchildren: Dominic, Vincent, Jackson, Harrison, and Daphne Marie. He is also survived by his sister, Angela (Fregiato) Bentley (Tom Pytlak).

Frank Fregiato graduated from Martins Ferry High School. He received his BA Degree in Political Science and his Law Degree from The Ohio State University.

Frank Fregiato was a former partner in the Law Firm of Fregiato, Myser and Davies from 1977 through 2013. He served as the former Law Director of the City of Bellaire, was the former Solicitor of the Villages of Belmont and Brookside and served as Special Counsel to the Attorney General.

Fregiato served as the Northern Division County Court Judge from 1997 through 2013. He then served in the position of Belmont County Common Pleas Judge from August 2013, and as presiding Judge of the Court from 2014, until his retirement in June of 2023.

During his time as Judge of the Northern Division County Court, Judge Fregiato established and conducted the “Live Court to Our High Schools” program. This program, which is believed to be the first and only one of its kind in the country, was created to demonstrate to youth the consequences for their actions and was profiled in both “Ohio Lawyers Weekly” and “Italian America” magazines.

Fregiato was deeply involved in numerous community and cultural organizations, including St. Mary’s Church in St. Clairsville. He was a member of the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association, the Ohio State and Belmont County Bar Associations, and a past president of the Belmont County Bar Association. He was also a former member of the Ohio State Bar Banking Committee and the Ohio State Bar Ethics Committee, and a former member of the American Bar and National Italian American Bar Associations. Additionally, Fregiato helped spearhead an annual community car show in St. Clairsville, which raised funds for drug free concepts and education for Belmont County youth.

Fregiato was a proud member of the Bellaire Sons of Italy and its cultural committee. When not serving up pasta, he served as the organization’s former Orator-Consigliere and was awarded the Sons of Italy Outstanding Achievement Award in 2003. In 2005, he received the Purple Aster Award from the state level Sons of Italy and served as a delegate to Sons of Italy State and National conventions. He was named the Upper Ohio Valley Italian American of the year in 2002 and served as a former Ohio Representative to the Washington, D.C. based Italian Commission on Social Justice.

Fregiato was a member of the Bridgeport and St. Clairsville Chambers of Commerce. He was a member of the St. Clairsville Rotary Club and served as a past president of the Bridgeport Rotary. As president of the St. Clairsville Rotary Club, he instituted the countywide project of providing dictionaries to all third-grade students.

He was also a member of:

• -The Ohio State University Belmont County Alumni Organization (where he served as director and past president).
• -The Knights of Columbus.
• -The Hendrysburg Masons (where he received the 2000 Ohio Grand Lodge Community Service Award).
• -The Ohio Valley Christian Soldiers.
• -The Ohio Cancer Research Associates (and its 2006 Honoree) and later appointed to The Ohio Cancer Research Associates Advisory Board in 2017.
• -The Ohio Valley Athletic Conference past Advisory Staff.
• -The Great Stone Viaduct Historical Society (Ringstone Club) and the Belmont College Criminal Justice Board.
• -The GTO Association of America, the Pontiac Oakland Club International, and the National Corvette Museum Association.

Frank authored “A Brief History of Italy,” a comprehensive essay covering pre-Roman times to the modern era. He also authored a lead article, “The Legend,” in the International GTO Magazine. He regularly wrote his column, “Quarter Mile with the Judge,” for the car magazines “The Legend” and “Smoke Signals”.

After retiring to Cincinnati, OH, Judge Fregiato enjoyed spending time with his family and on his hobbies, which included history, personal training, guitar, the Italian language and culture, and his classic car collection.

A Celebration of the Life of Judge Frank Fregiato is being planned for a later date.

Arrangements by Vitt, Stermer and Anderson Funeral Home.