John Lewis Frank

John Lewis Frank passed away November 11, 2020 in Kalamazoo, Michigan at the age of 85. He was born August 12, 1935 in Lander, Wyoming, the eldest child of Victor and Loretta (Winchester) Frank. John grew up in Wyoming and graduated from Dubois High School in 1952. He graduated from University of Wyoming 1956 with a degree in Physics. His first job after graduation was in the Applied Physics Department at DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware. As an agricultural engineer, he went on to work for Barnes Engineering, John Deere, International Harvester, Clark Equipment, and in later years Thomas Group Consulting of Troy, Michigan where he retired in 2000. He married Darlene Sue Hill in 1964. They divorced in 1979. He married Jacquelyn Ann Montague in 1980 and remained married to her until her death in 2011. John loved life and had such an optimistic attitude towards it. A tall gentle spirit, he was a man of action. At a young age John developed a life-long obsession with trains. Throughout his life he had several other interests including motorcycles and cars, farming, traveling, restoration and the fine arts. He valued education and was a member of Mensa. John spent many years on the racing circuit as a hobby. His biggest accomplishments were placing 1st in the Solo II Championship with his Saab Sonnet in 1973, and placing 10th in the E Production class at the SCCA National Championships at Road Atlanta 1975 with his MGB. Together with his wife Jackie, John restored their 100-year-old Victorian home in Chelsea, Michigan and registered it on the National Register of Historic Places. He was actively involved in his community and was President of Preservation Chelsea for many years. In 2011 he was named Chelsea Citizen of the Year. He never missed a family reunion. Whether Wyoming, or in later years South Carolina, John always insisted on driving long hours across the country to see his kin. He travelled extensively in retirement with his companion Gloria Pierce, visiting family and friends coast to coast, and even to Scotland for a wedding. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Dwain Earl Frank, a son George Victor Frank, and his wife Jacquelyn. He is survived by his two daughters Jane Frank of Oklahoma City, OK and Jennifer (Jim) Hendrixson of Portage, Michigan; 8 grandchildren: Georgia, Emily, Jonathan, and Alexander Fruendt, Austin (Ashley) Carlson, Christopher Hendrixson, Taylor (Joe) Cornelius, and Samantha (Ryan) Cook, 2 great-grandchildren, Nolan and Jordan Cornelius, a nephew Donald (Brenda) Frank, two nieces Kathy (Bob) Van Riper and Brenda (Delvin) Hyatt, plus 4 great-nephews and nieces, and 6 great-great nephews and nieces. John’s ashes will be buried at the Linwood Cemetery in Norway, Iowa next to his beloved wife of 32 years, Jackie, at the Mountain View Cemetery in Riverton, Wyoming, next to his parents, brother, and son. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in John’s name to the University of Michigan Saturday Morning Physics Lecture Series to help fund informative academic presentations at https://donate.umich.edu/d5aej