Obituary
Jeffrey A, Frank, age 80, of Canby, MN, passed away Tuesday, October 26, 2021, at his home. Mass of Christian burial will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, November 5, 2021, at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Canby, MN. Visitation will be Friday one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be Friday at 1:30 p.m. in the St.. Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery, Ivanhoe, MN. Houseman Funeral Home, Birk Chapel in Canby, MN, is entrusted with the arrangements.
Jeffrey was born September 11, 1941, in Lake Stay Township, Lincoln County, MN, to LeRoy and Rose (Zgoda) Frank. He graduated from Ivanhoe High School in 1959 and joined the Air Force in 1961. Jeff devoted 26 years to his Air Force career and served in Vietnam, completing numerous helicopter tours, Aerospace Rescue and Recovery 1972 - 1978 and again from 1982 to 1987, the 89th Military Airlift Wing from 1978 to 1982, and the 55th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. He also flew Air Force One during the Reagan era. The long list of entries in his military passport is testament to his extensive travel; there wasn’t a corner of the globe he did not visit. He retired from the Air Force as a master sergeant in 1987.
He was very involved in VFW and was named the post commander of post 4647 in North Highlands, CA. He was also part of the Military Order of the Cooties and a Boy Scout master while living in Honolulu, Hawaii. He also assisted with Little League baseball when his boys were young.
When he experienced the onset of his vision loss, he moved back to Minnesota to be closer to family. Jeff enjoyed fishing, gardening, cooking, spending time with friends, and, most of all, family. He had an aptitude for repairing things that broke, even with his lack of vision. Jeff was a prolific listener to books on tape when his vision was too diminished to read, often reading a book or more a day. He also enjoyed frequent phone conversations with family and friends to maintain connections. During his retirement, he found his love, Donna Marie Smith, and they were married in 2005. Jeff and Donna shared the love of dancing and traveling.
Jeff fought cancer twice. Once with his late wife, Donna, and once with his own battle of breast cancer, which was successful. His strength was shared with a local breast cancer support group. He also enjoyed meeting with the Low Vision support group in Canby.
Jeff is survived by his three children, Jon, Larry, and Jodi; four granddaughters, Brieann (Nathan), Taylor, Jodi, and Cloe; two great-grandsons, Kameron and Theodore; his siblings, John (Margaret), Edward, Jane, Jean (Will) Marquette, LeRoy (Diane), and Mary Jo Frensko.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Donna; parents, LeRoy and Rose; sister, Colleen Wirt; and brother, James; sister-in-law, Joan Frank; and brother-in-law, Dennis Frensko.
Words cannot express the gratitude we have for many people who have shown kindness and compassion to Jeff, especially Pat Stanley and Jessie Berckes.