RIP Freda Wright-SorceI know this post is outside of the normal KFR scope but bear with me. It is with great sadness to report that Freda Wright-Sorce, wife to Don Geronimo (real name: Mike Sorce) of the nationally syndicated “The Don & Mike Show” based out of Fairfax, Virginia, was killed Sunday afternoon in a car crash outside Ocean City, MD. The show, which was on a Fourth of July vacation, came back on the air today sans Don and did a tribute to Freda by playing a best-of show that highlighted her appearances on the show. The show was done with Don’s blessing.

While never an “official member” of the show, Freda had become an integral part of the show for most of the 18 years that I had listened. She was not only a wife to Don, but also seemed to give off a motherly persona whenever she called in. She also provided a strong and consistent female voice in a show that was mostly dominated by males. Throughout all of the changes in on-air female personnel (from Diana, the carry-over producer from the old WAVA “Morning Zoo” to Sherry Liquor, the third wheel/traffic lady to the current producer BA McBride), Freda remained the “sole” female that could not only chastise Don for going too far during a bit but who could also make Don shut up (which can be hard if you haven’t heard the show before).

To me, she humanized the show and brought the show up from more than just a smut fest before the FCC became holier-than-thou. This loss has affected me in a way that I did not realize as now I feel like I have just lost a very close friend of the family. I’m at a loss of words other than to offer my condolences to both Sorce and Wright families.

Information obtained for this post came from DC Radio & TV.com, Radio and Records and Channel 26 - WBOC-TV

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