Frederick A. McGrath, III - Obituary

rederick A. McGrath III passed away peacefully at his home in Fort Washington, Maryland on November 19, 2025, where he was surrounded by his family after a courageous battle with Merkel Cell cancer. He was born in Washington, DC and lived his entire life in the region. He attended St. Thomas More School, Gonzaga High School, and graduated from Potomac High School in Oxon Hill, MD. He earned an associate degree in Business from Prince George’s Community College. From a young age, he believed in hard work and in finding ways to get ahead. As a young boy he delivered newspapers on his bicycle, and as a teenager worked at both Giant Food and Memco. He deeply admired his father and spent his life working alongside him in a series of business ventures. In the 1970s he helped manage his father’s parking lot in Washington – where his business instincts emerged early. At a time when parking lots in the city only opened on weekdays, he saw an opportunity and convinced his skeptical father to expand operations to the weekends. His idea resulted in soaring revenue and helped fuel the expansion of the father and son partnership into the real estate world. Together they managed two rental housing businesses, Jaymac Properties and Excel Homes, serving the communities of Temple Hills, Oxon Hill, Suitland, and Clinton. He worked tirelessly to upgrade properties and place them in top condition. He held himself to the highest moral standards, and his dedication led to many long term tenancies. This included many that lasted decades and one that exceeded 40 years, a testament to the trust and bonds he built. He was a devoted husband, father and son who placed his family at the center of his life. He never missed his sons’ activities, from Cub Scouts to high school football games. That devotion also showed in the years he spent coaching their soccer teams at St. Mary’s Piscataway. He studied each player’s strengths and weaknesses and built strategies around them, leading to multiple undefeated seasons, yet always ensuring every child had significant playing time regardless of skill. He cherished family vacations. He loved time at the family beach house in Ocean City, Maryland, and enjoyed trips to Disney World, national parks, and various spots across the country. Many of those trips included major car events and shows, a reflection of his lifelong passion for cars, a love his sons would grow up to share. He often told stories about the Oldsmobiles his father owned when he was growing up, including a 1949 Rocket 88, a 1963 Starfire and a 1970 Cutlass Supreme. His fondest memories centered on his first car, a 1970 Chevelle SS, and on the days spent with fellow car enthusiasts at the Livingston McDonald’s. Over the years he became known as a Pontiac man, owning a 1974 Trans Am Super Duty and later collecting the various anniversary editions of the Trans Am. He enjoyed collecting model cars, Schwinn Stingray bicycles and toys from the era when his sons were young. He often took them to Toys R Us and used those outings to teach them the value of a dollar. He was a master negotiator and always seemed able to unlock remarkable discounts, with his sons often leaving with new toys marked down by ninety percent and, at times, purchased for only a single cent. He spent years teaching his sons countless skills, giving them a strong foundation and a significant early advantage in life. As a result, they entered their careers directly propelled toward success, leading major engineering projects for Fortune 10 companies and providing policy guidance sought by dozens of members of the United States Congress. He was a loving husband and a devoted son who made certain his parents received exceptional care in the later stages of their lives. His constant presence and support helped his father live well into his nineties and allowed his mother to reach her one hundredth birthday this year. He will be forever loved by his family and deeply missed by all who knew him. He joins his father, Frederick Albert McGrath, and his brother, Patrick Kelly McGrath, in Heaven. He is survived by his devoted wife of thirty-seven years, Cynthia L. Costenbader, MD, his mother, Dorothy Jane McGrath, his sons, Frederick P. McGrath and Ryan P. McGrath, and his daughter-in-law, Cara M. McGrath. A viewing will be held on Thursday, December 4 at Kalas Funeral Home in Oxon Hill, Maryland, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. A second viewing will be held on Friday, December 5 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church in Southwest Washington, followed by a 10 a.m. funeral Mass and burial at Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton, Maryland. A reception will be held afterward for family and friends to gather and celebrate his life. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Rescue Angels of Southern Maryland - McGrath Memorial Fund through this link. Rescue Angels of Southern Maryland - McGrath Memorial Fund