I had never met Frank in person, but dealt with and pm'd him many times over the years and he was always a gentleman and respectul. One time i had sold him some parts, and was late sending them out because my dad had some health issues that had me going to the hospital daily for over a week..and i truly forgot to send them. When i finally remembered, i sent Frank a note apologizing. He could not have been more understanding and supportive, saying in a nutshell, family first always, and send the parts whenever. An honorable man.......and of a breed that will likely not be seen again. Again, my heartfelt condolences to all his family and friends. Tony
I hate death, pisses me off when the really good ones leave way too soon. gonna miss Frank bustin my balls...he took pleasure in it, then gave me a wink and a nod afterwards...great man...can't type anymore can't see the keyboard
It is really hard to put into words how you feel when someone you know passes. I have known Frank for almost as long as I have resided in Michigan and always looked forward to seeing him either at Billetproof or Sins of Steel or Frankenmuth. One of my really great memories was our first time breakfast at Tony's in Birch Run.My wife and I drove about a hundred miles(one way) to experience Tony's because Rich and Frank had raved about their breakfasts.We weren't disappointed. The best part though was an impromptu "garage crawl" through Rich's place;Tom May's shop and finally Franks combination machine shop and Deuce Shelter.Never saw so many 32 Ford parts in my life! Whenever we went to a show Frank always made it a point to come over and say hello and trade war stories.As stated before I never heard him say a bad word about anyone even though I'm sure he could have. I looked around for some pictures to post as I knew we had some from Tom's garage and the only one I could find was at Billetproof when he was observing me striping a Shoebox with his typical smile. Godspeed my friend and save a spot for me at the table.
Frank was one of the Originals here.Went thru the board when it was the wild west in the early days. He had built a lot of cars….. He never back down on his beliefs….. He was a real Hot rodder. A sad day…. time moves too quickly. Rest easy Frank.
Although I did not know Frank personally, I enjoyed reading this posts, he also commented on some of my threads, which gave me a great boost as I knew he was a true Hot Rodder. He will be sadly missed here on the HAMB R.I.P Frank.
Its so hard to believe. My heart is just broken. Frank had been thru so much and survived I just thought he'd be here forever. Without going into huge detail it's because of Frank's generosity hosting a HAMB thrash in 2004 that Big Olds was actually painted and completed. I treasured our friendship but am feeling guilty now that didn't tell him enough how much he meant to me or how much I loved him as a person. My deepest, heartfelt condolences to his lovely wife, family and legions of friends. I just thought of something that made me smile.......Frank and Jay (C9) hugging it out in heaven right now saying to each other "Wow, great to finally met you!" Frank is on the far right side in the denim shirt After a hard day in the shop 2003 Breakie and Garage Crawl Frank giving us a tour of his shop His Pride and Joy Deadbeat Bash 2005....I LOVE this photo!
I'm going to miss him here, what a fantastic guy, so knowledgeable and helpful all these years. May God give him Peace.
I had the honor of visiting Frank's place a few years back and seeing his collection. He was an amazing guy with quite a history of cars. He told me he'd owned over 200 cars in his lifetime. That's saying something! RIP Frank Mike
Always sad when we loose a member of the HAMB family, prayers going out to his family and friends. Bob
Don't know the man but did read his posts from time to time. I have known others similar in nature. I think Picasso said that our goal in life is to discover our gifts; our purpose in life is to share them. By that measure he must have been a very successful man. Prayers sent on to family and friends of his.
Another light has gone out of the world and the world is a little darker for it. For me Frank was part of the foundation of this place and I simply took it for granted that he would pull through this latest trial. This is a reminder that tomorrow is not promised to us and that we need to live today and be sure to let the people around us know that we love them and that we are glad they are in our lives. I am heartened to know of Frank's faith and that I will get to finally meet him when God calls me home as well. Godspeed brother! and rest in peace!
FAB 32 HAS CROSSED THE FINISH LINE !!!!!!!!! One of the very best people I have ever met in life took the checkered flag at the pearly gates today.... One of a kind, with a real heart for other people, Frank was not only a true old school Hot Rodder, But more importantly a man of highest integrity and deepest faith.... As many of you, I loved him like a brother, And he loved us right back,... Hot Rods were the catalyst, But individual friendship was the end result. On a long trip we made to eastern Pennsylvanian a couple years ago to pick up some car parts, we talked a lot about the friendships we made on the HAMB,... We talked about a lot of you, your posts, your situations, your projects & your trials. we built dozens of cars in our minds on that trip,... Joking around mixed with very serious conversation,.... What some of you don't know is, That Frank sustained a very serious injury several years ago that came so incredibly close to taking his life, But through circumstances and miracles his life was spared,.... He told me on that trip,.... "Every day sense then, I count as a bonus day",... And he knew how to enjoy them !,.... When we were talking about all the blessings in our lives, First was his Faith and his wonderful wife Sharon,... followed closely by there children,.. And the list went on... We talked about friends from the HAMB, We even called Denise (The HAMB's "First Lady") on our way back when we noticed she hadn't been posting as often as she use to. We talked about Fuel Pump, Lucky 77 & Karla, a lot of HAMB family,... Even how much we both enjoyed bustin' "3W Larry's" chops... And we talked about Ryan and the HAMB..... Fact is,... He cared about all of you. We drove that trip in "Tag-team" fashion,.... catching a little sleep as the other drove,... but most of the time was filled with conversation, Along with stops for gas and food,... Frank would be talking,... and a few seconds later he would bust out in a snore that seemed to rattle the windows of the truck ! (scared me half to death !!) He would settle into a steady stream of snoring for about 20 minutes,.... and then just that fast !,..... Start the conversation up right where he left off !..... I would start laughing, and he asked what was so funny ?..... When I told him what happened,... He would give me that squint eye look and crooked grin and say,.. I wasn't asleep ! We had to stop for gas, coffee and a bathroom break somewhere along the rout heading east on the way out, So I pull over at one of those cloverleaf off ramps,.. Got coffee, hit the can, gassed up,... I could see Frank was still tired. He asked me if I wanted him to drive for a while,.... I said "No I got a few hours left in me",... Frank drifted off to sleep,... And I was cruising along about fifteen minutes later,.... when it hit me !.... When I pulled over the moonlight was on Frank,..... Now it was on ME !!!!.... I was going West again !!!!!! CRAP !,... How do I cover this ???.... (There was a time in my life I had to know without question where I was and what direction I was going,... What a bonehead mistake !!!).. I figured,.... well Frank is a deep sleeper,... I just ease off the next exit, do a flip flop,... and no one will be the wiser !.... Right ?....... As I ease off the interstate, Frank said "We out of gas already ?.... Want me to drive ?...... " I said "No buddy were good" as I cross the overpass and get back on east bound,.... He looks at me and starts to laugh, Knowing what a screw up I just made,..... He started teasing me, calling me "Magellan"..... "Wait till we get back !,..... Can't wait to post this on the HAMB !" (Was Franks response) After giving me grief for my inability to cover up my "little error" I quickly tried to divert the conversation to anything but my mistake... We continued the trip,... A "bonsai" trip there and back..... We were both dead beat tired when we reached Franks house,.... Unloaded the parts,... and I was ready to head home,.... I grabbed his big bear claw of a hand and gave him a hand shake,... we both said how much fun we had,... (fully confident he forgot all about my little mistake),.... And as we said our goodbys he looked me in the eyes and said,....... "Think you can find your way home Magellan ?"..... With a really big grin on his face........ He would kid me from time to time about it, But he never gave that story up to all you knuckleheads......... I guess that, As well as many other things ( including our common faith) is why I couldn't help but love him as a Brother. There are so many people Frank "adopted" as his own, and so many lives he touched,....... And I guarantee you he truly cared about all of you...... Frank,..... I look forward to seeing you again someday..... Until then my friend,.... Fair winds and following seas........... REV. 21:4
The Jalopy Journal
