On January 20, 2022, John LeRoy Frank handed away at dwelling along with his household by his aspect. He was 74 years outdated and had been a warrior in a 10-year battle with pancreatic most cancers.
John was intensely curious and a voracious lifetime learner. He was an early expertise adopter and taught himself to make use of a pc a few years earlier than they had been commonplace in properties. He was at all times desperate to strive new packages and purposes and he loved sharing what he realized. John cherished details, spreadsheets, charts, historical past, dams, geology, geography, railroads, mines and GIS maps. He knew all of the federal and state street route numbers and nomenclature. He was our Rand McNally.
In his final 12 months, John found Central Washington University Professor Nick Zentner’s geology courses on YouTube and he was hooked! He watched each class no less than as soon as. John mentioned, “the students are lucky that I am not officially registered in the class because I would kill the curve” and he would have! He would replay the courses for household, mates, and his nurses. He was taking courses inside 5 days of his passing. He couldn’t consider that anybody wouldn’t be excited to study his favourite matters.
John at all times wished to grasp how issues work and would spend hours studying and researching the subject of the day. He might repair something and was by no means afraid to take one thing aside and reassemble it so he might see for himself the way it labored. John cherished tenting, fishing, and looking. He additionally loved taking part in poker and craps and watching Gonzaga University basketball along with his spouse, a proud GU alumnus and an avid basketball fan. John was a very good sport and readily entertained her want to assist the benchwarmers as a lot because the starters.
John L. Frank was born on December 3, 1947. He was the fifth of six sons of Minerva Jane (Dunn) Frank and miner Thomas John Frank. The boys had been shut – all born inside 9 years – and every of the three massive boys had somewhat boy counterpart. They had been raised in a busy, rambunctious family within the heyday of the Silver Valley. John graduated from Kellogg High School in 1966.
In April of 1967, John was launched to Diane Chase at his grandpa Dunn’s celebration and so they started courting. He was drafted into the US Army in July 1967 and served the 12 months 1968 in Fourth Infantry Division in Vietnam. Diane wrote a letter to him on daily basis he was deployed and commonly despatched him care packages with treats he shared along with his compatriots. He acquired a number of medals for his service together with a Combat Infantryman’s Badge and a Purple Heart. John was each pleased with his navy service and passionate in his perception that our nation and its residents ought to do all the things doable to keep away from subjecting our younger women and men to the tragedies of conflict.
After being honorably discharged from the Army with a Sergeant E5 rank, he returned to Kellogg and commenced {an electrical} apprenticeship on the Bunker Hill smelter. In August of 1969, John and Diane had been married at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Coeur d’Alene and so they agreed to boost their youngsters within the Catholic custom.
In 1971 looking for higher alternatives, John accepted an inside wireman electrical apprenticeship with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 73. After 4 years, John turned out as inside journeyman wireman. He was a proud member of IBEW Local 73 for over 50 years. He was grateful that even when the native financial system was dangerous, he might journey and discover work to assist the household. John maintained a spreadsheet recording the dates, wages, undertaking websites and eight states by which he labored.
John was devoted to the IBEW and believed the energy of the union was in its members participation. He lived this perception. At Local 73, he served on many committees together with the well being and welfare and the negotiating committees. He served because the Local 73 vp and president and as an organizer. John cherished working alongside apprentices and his youngsters. He loved educating and modeling the delight of executing high quality work and an excellent work ethic. He was additionally obsessed with sharing the significance of investing in an individual’s complete life and future – particularly the worth of prioritizing and funding high quality medical health insurance and retirement. He was pleased with the safety the IBEW retirement plans present their members. John embraced the ethos, enterprise and neighborhood of the union.
Many years in the past, when John was working as a foreman, his union brothers gave him the nickname “Rooster” for the way in which he carried himself along with his skinny legs and barrel chest strolling round supervising a jobsite. At his 2011 retirement social gathering, to each congratulate and rib John, they gave him a large card along with his face Photoshopped onto the Looney Tune character Foghorn Leghorn. John appreciated the banter and once we acquired his long-awaited fishing boat that 12 months, he appropriately named it “Rooster’s Roost.”
During their married lifetime of 52 years, John and Diane’s household grew to incorporate 5 youngsters: Stacey, John B., Molly, Hilary and Stephanie; 4 married-in youngsters: Bobbie, Troy, Morgan and Tim; and three grandchildren: Avery, Shelby and Julia – all of whom he cherished with all his coronary heart. John believed in each certainly one of them. He inspired and took delight of their skill to suppose intelligently and independently. He at all times mentioned, “All of our children taught us more about life than we ever taught them.”
We have at all times been a detailed household and we’ve got scheduled as many particular occasions and journeys as doable over the past ten years. Family recollections embody an Alaskan cruise, 2 weddings, 3 school graduations, assembly our latest grandchild, wintering in Las Vegas and attending many away Gonzaga University basketball video games, WCC basketball tournaments, and RV journeys to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks and the Oregon coast.
All of this residing has been doable resulting from a tremendous group of individuals together with the group of Seattle’s Virginia Mason Medical Center (particularly Drs Biehl, Hubka, Kirtland, Song, Siddique, Picozzi, Beiter and their unimaginable staffs) – who carried out and offered all of the assessments, surgical procedures, radiation therapies, chemotherapies and palliative care that helped John reside longer; nurse guide Jitana who helped us navigate medical advocacy within the first tumultuous 12 months of therapy; All Heart Infusion nurses Renae and Whitney who offered in-home IV fluids that offered consolation – easing his respiratory and reduce dizziness; Meghan Gregg at Kootenai Diabetes Clinic; Dr. Queen who has cared for our household over a few years; CNS nurses Lois, Doris, Liz, Dave, Cassie, Tiffany and Sadie who offered skilled nursing and friendship and had been nice college students of geology; Hospice of North Idaho particularly Liz and Will who guided us by means of his last week; historian Sara Jane for the numerous fantastic conversations and laughter as she interviewed John and Diane about our life tales.
When John was recognized, the pancreatic most cancers statistics had been 6% of sufferers lived 5 years. In the ten years that he lived there have been many troublesome occasions and challenges, however most significantly there was priceless, irreplaceable pleasure. Our complete household could have everlasting gratitude as we all know that John couldn’t have beat the horrible pancreatic most cancers odds with out all of those professionals and their care.
John is predeceased by his mother and father Thomas and Minerva Frank; his brothers Bill, Ray, Gerald, Paul and Jim Frank; sister-in-law Darla Frank; brother-in-law Tim Chase; and father-in-law James Chase.
He is survived by his spouse of 52 years, Diane Frank; 5 grownup youngsters Stacey (Troy) Peterson, John Brendon (Bobbie) Frank, Molly Frank, Hilary (Morgan) Frank, Stephanie (Tim) Webb; 3 grandchildren Avery Frank, Shelby Frank and Julia Webb; mother-in-law Colleen Chase; sisters-in-law Karen Grindle, Shelly Frank, Evonne Frank, Connie Frank, Lorraine Chase; brother-in-law Mike Chase; and plenty of nephews, nieces, cousins and their youngsters; and his IBEW brothers and sisters.
The household is taking time to privately grieve. The John L. Frank Memorial Gathering will likely be held on Sunday July 17, 2022 at 11:00 am at Elk Point (*74*) on Potlatch Hill overlooking Lake Coeur d’Alene. All household and mates are welcome. Please electronic mail JohnLFrankMemorialGathering@gmail.com or depart a message or textual content 509.499.0646 for extra particulars. There will likely be a service celebrating his life adopted by a reception so all of us have the chance to go to and share our tales with one another. He would count on nothing much less! Memorial contributions could also be made to causes which are close to and pricey to our household and John: All Heart Infusion – the superb non-profit group who cares for a lot of in our neighborhood; or the IBEW Local 73 Sick and Needy Fund.
John was a outstanding, beloved man who will likely be tremendously missed. We are comforted to know that he stayed with us so long as there was extra pleasure than ache; that he’s now not struggling; and that his soul will proceed to study and information us in our life journeys.