Lexington mayor Frank W. Friedman died yesterday, July 2, after being stricken the day before. He had been transported to a Roanoke hospital.
Several Lexington city meetings scheduled for last night, including the regularly scheduled city council meeting were cancelled following news of his hospitalization.
Friedman was elected mayor in 2016, and most recently elected to his third term in 2024.
Friedman was born in Blacksburg, but moved to Lexington before entering the second grade in 1973. He graduated from Lexington High School in 1984 and from Hampden-Sydney College, where he served as student government secretary- treasurer, in 1988. He was a graduate of the Darden Banking School at the University of Virginia and worked in financial services for 38 years – five in Jacksonville, Fla., four in Richmond and 29 in Lexington. Since 2011, he was a financial adviser with CornerStone Bank, working with individuals and small businesses.
He served on the boards of Carilion Rockbridge Community Foundation, Kendal at Lexington, Virginia March of Dimes, Rockbridge United Way, Augusta Community Health Foundation, Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission and Blue Ridge Resource Authority.
Lexington City Manager Tom Carroll said in an email to The News-Gazette, "As we all process this shattering news, I invite us to all to honor Frank by trying to be a bit more like him even as we grieve. Hug a loved one. Greet a stranger on Main Street with a hearty “Good morning” or “Good afternoon.” Offer grace to another person who is saying something you disagree with. Look for the best in each other. Continue to serve our wonderful community. And so on."
Lexington Vice Mayor Marylin Alexander said, "As the community mourns the loss of our dear mayor, the outpouring of hearfelt sentiments are true examples of what he desired a true "Beloved Community" to look, feel and sound like. Because of the legacy he bestowed on us, he would expect us to live each day as though it were our last and express our kind words and deeds to one another. Just like Frank."
Steve Grist, President and CEO of CornerStone Bank posted, "Frank’s loss is felt deeply by all of us. He was far more than a colleague — he was part of the very fabric of our team, a steady and trusted presence whose wisdom, warmth, and genuine care for others touched each of us in ways that words can hardly capture."
"Speaking personally, I valued Frank not only for the excellence he brought to his work, but for the kind of man he was every single day."
"Frank was a public servant in the truest sense. Whether as an investment manager, as our mayor, or as a devoted supporter of countless people and causes, he gave of himself generously and without expectation of anything in return. He led with integrity, served with humility, and made everyone around him better simply by being present."
"As Vice President and Financial Advisor, Frank helped guide the financial lives of the families and businesses he served with the same honesty and dedication he brought to everything he did. His clients were never just clients — they were neighbors and friends, and he treated them as such."
"To lose someone of Frank’s character leaves a void that cannot easily be filled. Yet I take comfort in the example he set and the legacy he leaves behind — one of service, kindness, and unwavering commitment to this community."
He and his wife, Melissa Moran Friedman, have six children between them.
