Harold Frank

Pvt - HQ Company 2 Bn 24th Reg

Jan 1925 - Apr 2014

The funeral for Harold O. Franck, 89, will be at 1 p.m. Saturday May 3, 2014 in Ranfranz & Vine Funeral Home Chapel in Rochester with the Rev. Paul Bauch officiating.  Burial with military honors will be in Grandview Memorial Gardens.  Mr. Franck died of natural causes on Saturday, April 26, 2014 at the GoldenLiving Center East.  
     Harold O. Franck was born January 24, 1925 in Spring Valley, Minnesota to Reynold and Agnes (Rudlong) Franck.  The family moved to Racine, Minnesota and Harold started and finished grade school there.  He went to high school in Stewartville and quit his junior year and joined the Marine Corps.  He fought in Siapan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima.   He received two Presidential Unit Citations and was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds on Iwo Jima.  His discharge was November 30, 1945.
     He then finished high school at Rochester High School in a half a year and started Rochester Junior College.  He married Helen Wiemerslage on December 6, 1946.  She died of cancer April 9, 1964.  In 1966 he married Edith Morse Witcher.  Edie died January 27, 1990 with complications of a stroke.  A special friend, Bernice Link, died in March 2007.
     Harold worked at the U.S. Post Office for 38 years, most of that as a rural route carrier.  After retirement, he drove a shuttle bus for St. Marys for three years.
     Hunting, fishing, golf, and watching and following the sports and endeavors of his children and grand children were dear to him.
      He was a member of American Legion and Disabled Veterans.  He was also a past member of Haverhill Town Board.
     He is survived by four daughters; Denice (David) Cocker, Katherine (George) Zukowsky, Cynthia (Jan) Smith, and Margo (Lyle) Yotter, one son, Eric (Sheila) Franck and twelve grand children, Brett Cocker, Heather Cocker, Natasha Durnick, Travis Zukowsky, Chad Smith, Shawn Smith, Amber Belkofer, Jason Smith, Jeremy Thornburgh, Ellery Stigler, Luke Yotter, Tyler Yotter and 15 great-grandchildren.
     He was preceded in death by his two wives, a son, Michael, three sisters, Virginia Bartel, Phyllis Salsburg, Lois Schermerhorn, and one brother, Marvin.
     His wish is for memorials to go to The Boys and Girls Club of Rochester.
     Friends may call an hour and a half before the service on Saturday.