Gregory John Froelick, aka "Cotton Top" (an endearing name given to him by his maternal grandfather August Popish), passed away on January 18, 2025, at 3 am in Santa Maria, CA at the age of 68. Greg had a desire to be "unique" and thus his hair which was white as snow made him stand out from other family members with their very dark black hair.

He was quite proud of his last name FROELICK which means happy in German, so for the past several years he has used "Happy" as his name. This name stuck because he is happy and made him feel happy as well as those around him. So many people mentioned to me that he is a happy soul.

He became deeply committed to our Lord and this brought him immense happiness. He joined the TBN Network listened to all the faithfulness programming and purchased numerous reading materials.

He lived and worked in Santa Barbara for most of his adult life and only moved to Santa Maria a few months ago because he wanted to be closer to his only two remaining siblings Burton J. and Deborah M. Greg was the youngest of four children. His other brother, Mark R. passed away on October 5, 2023.

His father, Robert C. transferred from Cape Canaveral, Florida to Vandenberg Space Force Base in 1970 and the family has been on the Central Coast since then.

Today I spent an hour or two thinking about whether mentioning Happy's mental health is appropriate for an obituary. I decided if I did not mention Happy's mental health, I would be depriving people of the chance to witness a miracle.

Before his 18th birthday, Happy tried killing himself by ingesting a very potent chemical and luckily, he was unsuccessful. Happy was taken to Camarillo State Mental Hospital in a straight jacket. Patients at this facility were given heavy doses of Thorazine, a powerful sedative, making it easier to "manage" them. They were "zombies" and walked the Thorazine shuffle. Happy disliked this medication very much. The psych doctors classified him as manic-depressive schizophrenic with auditory hallucinations, aka voices inside his head.

Governor Ronald Reagan closed all state hospitals in 1970. Greg lived in every facility imaginable from board and care to group homes, and independent living in Santa Barbara. At this point, I wish to give all counselors and staff at Path Point, the Mental Health Wellness Center, and Gardens on Hope a heartfelt nod as our family's way of thanking all of you for the time and effort you bestowed upon Greg to make him a more productive and happier individual able to handle life and everything that life threw in front of him. His goal was to become a holistic doctor, and although he did not achieve this, you all gave him the vision that such a goal was possible. I am certain that without your help and support his life would have been much different.

His acceptance of Jesus as our Savior gave Happy the added strength he needed to be a role model for others struggling with their demons. This cheerful outlook and his encouraging words are what I miss the most.

He is survived by his two siblings mentioned above as well as numerous cousins scattered across the United States, Oregon, Montana, North Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, New Mexico, and Florida.

We love you Happy! RIP my sweet brother