Francis "Frank" Joseph Bach

Tuesday afternoon, January 24, with family at his bedside, Francis “Frank” Bach [also known as “Frankie” and Frank Bach, Jr.] passed away peacefully, at the age of 84. Frank was the second child, and first boy, of eight children born to Frank Bach, Sr., and Catherine Minch Bach. The family lived on Troy Hill, a small enclave consisting of predominantly German immigrant families in Pittsburgh where family values and a solid work ethic were engrained in the children as they grew. As a child, Frankie loved to talk, earning the nickname of “Windy”. He was fascinated by reports of world traveler “Frank Buck, Africa Adventurer”, and spent hours sitting on the porch entertaining other youngsters with stories of travels and exploits. The Bach family moved north from Pittsburgh when the house on Troy Hill became too small for the growing family. As a teenager, Frankie was a boxer on a Saturday afternoon local TV show, where he engaged in three-round fights with a mighty midget group, winning most, losing a few. He also played football, attended school and helped in the family salad business, Bach’s Tasty Foods of Pennsylvania. Frank got good grades throughout school, becoming a member of the National Honor Society, and enlisted in the Air Force after graduating from high school. Trained as an Air Force meteorologist, he was assigned TDY [temporary duty] to an Army Aviation unit near North Korea shortly after the truce, with land mines still a major threat to troops stationed there. His Korea and military experiences solidified his values, and helped him more fully appreciate the opportunities at home in the United States. After the extreme cold temperatures in Korea, Frank’s next posting was to Homestead AFB, the warmest option available. There he met Wanda Sue Cawood, whom he married at his next duty station, Offutt AFB in Nebraska, headquarters for the Strategic Air Command. Daughter Michelle was born in Nebraska, shortly before Frank left the Air Force; the family moved to West Palm Beach. Daughter Jennifer and twins Kevin and Keith were all born in South Florida. Frank initially supported the family in Florida as a representative for Revlon; Wanda worked as a waitress at Manero’s Restaurant. Frank also worked for a cabinet shop, selling and making cabinets, working with his brother-in-law Gary Mcdeavitt to install them. Other business ventures included raising cattle and horses on 10 acres in Jupiter, and investing in a funeral home and cemetery. Frank also served as a rural mail carrier for the Post Office for 30 years while pursuing his other ventures, demonstrating his work ethic, providing a solid foundation for the family of six. Adept at time management, Frank enrolled at Florida Atlantic, using his GI bill benefits and hard work to graduate with a double major in business and psychology. He decided not to pursue his law school plans when Wanda developed health issues. Wanda passed away in 1994 following a kidney/pancreas transplant and less than optimum care; after litigation to uncover the cause of Wanda’s death, daughters Michelle and Jennifer started playing Cupid between their father and his attorney, Karen Gievers, whose husband Joe had been killed in 1987 while training for a triathlon, leaving her a widow with two children, Dan and Donna. Frank and Karen married on a Sunday in November, 1997 creating a blended family of six children, and some grandchildren. During 1998, the newlyweds travelled the state as Karen ran for Secretary of State, with Frank a key part of the campaign, with “campaign brothers” Mike Lamonica and Steve Beasley. Many voters lived in retirement communities, where married voters counted their years of marriage in decades. Karen and Frank became known as the couple that counted their anniversaries by the number of weeks since their 1997 wedding, with voters asking “How many weeks has it been?” and enjoying hearing the answer change weekly. Following the campaign, Frank and Karen moved to Tallahassee. Frank enjoyed being the videographer with Karen's law firm and helping with the cases. In 2010, Frank served as chief campaign manager for Karen's circuit judge run which resulted in a victory. They enjoyed many wonderful friendships along the way, including with George and Marianne Brown and the magical “Monday Night Dinner Group of Lakeshore Drive". Before Karen’s birthday in 2019 made her too old to continue as a judge, Frank served as a volunteer during a courthouse “active shooter” exercise, again helping make a difference as the court staff had to pay attention to the effect of his age and knee replacements made during the exercise’s evacuation of spectators from the courtroom. Frank and Karen also enjoyed travelling in their spare time, at times taking grandchildren with them on special grandparent bonding trips or visiting family and friends around the country. Frank participated as vigorously as possible in activities while traveling to their diverse travel destinations. thoroughly enjoying singing traditional Irish music with the Mcdeavitts during troubadour Danny Doyle’s tour of Ireland in 2000. Later, inspired by Frank Buck in a south Africa culture center near Johannesburg, Frankie volunteered to demonstrate a short saber-like weapon in what was supposed to be a fake skirmish with a Zulu warrior. Unaware of the nearby live microphone, he got into character, challenging the warrior while convincingly waving the weapon. Concerned about Frank’s intensity, Zulu elders retrieved the sharp weapon from Frank, replacing it with a less dangerous one to complete the demonstration, fortunately without injury to anyone. In a Kenyan Masai village, the Chief let Frank sit in the only chair in the village as they bargained over the price to be paid pay for handmade Masai souvenirs, with the help of college-educated Jonathan who was showing the tribe how the souvenir business could generate funds for a community well, so the Masai women would not need to walk miles for water. The adventures were amazing and thoroughly enjoyable. Kangaroos, koalas, the Great Barrier Reef, Tasmanian devil dogs and boomerang throwing in Australia, sheep ranches, Milford Sound, and the Pavlova desserts in New Zealand, interacting with the people encountered along the way, all were special. Naturally outgoing, and believing that everyone had a story, Frank loved to talk and interact, with an engaging twinkle in his eyes, and interest in everything experienced. Seeing Frank enjoying driving on the speed-limit-free autobahns in Europe was beyond description. Also amazing was being able to rendezvous with Patricia Allen’s son George and his family in Prague, where George was teaching photography at a university. Frank was selected for a one-day Honor Flight from Tallahassee to Washington, D.C. with other veterans and their guardians; being able to share the adventure with a grandson, and a long-time friend and his son made the recognition even more appreciated. Other trips remained on the bucket list as Frank’s health declined and covid isolation hit. Frank loved watching M.A.S.H. reruns on television, seeing the hills that he had seen years earlier in Korea. His fading short-term memory allowed him to forget episodes previously seen, and brought back his years’ earlier memories of his actual time in the Air Force. Frank remained a member of the Capital City Kiwanis Club and the Tallahassee Lions Club until he passed, participating in activities helping the homeless at Grace Mission and packing food at Second Harvest for children to have something to eat during weekends and summers. He believed in random acts of kindness to leave things better than he found them, and appreciated the many blessings received. Frank and Karen’s 1,312 week anniversary occurred the Sunday before Frank’s death. Frank is survived by wife Karen Gievers Bach, their six children Michelle (Kevin), Jennifer (Sue), Kevin (Heather), Keith, Dan, and Donna (Oney), 11 grandchildren Scott (Joy), Steven (Hannah), John, Katie (Ryan), Adam (Taryn), Austin, Steven, Jacob, Jessica, Emilie and Alex, 13 greatgrandchildren Johnay, Jaxon, Shyla, A.J. Jr., Ariah, Angel, Wyatt, Walker, Adeline, Rory, Miles, Grace and Remy. Frank’s parents, his older sister Kathy and younger brother David predeceased him. Frank is survived by three younger sisters Nancy (Pat), Peggy and Linda (Marc), two younger brothers Bob (Shelley) and Kenny, brother-in-law Gary (Liz), Aunt Ruth, numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and others on the Bach side, Aunt Mary and numerous cousins on the Minch side. On Wanda’s side, Frank is survived by brother-in-law Tom (Pat) and other relatives, and, on the Gievers side, by Karen’s sisters Sue (Jim), Nanci (Terry) and Lisa (Grant) and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and others. To know Frank was to feel that you were part of his family. He took time to talk with folks, not at them, helping them feel important; he would be the first to offer any help needed. In lieu of flowers, and in memory of Frank, the family suggests donations to favorite charities, or random acts of kindness to help make things better. A Full Military Honors Memorial Service will be held at the Tallahassee National Cemetery on Friday, March 10th, 2023, starting promptly at 2:00 PM. ****PLEASE ARRIVE BY 1:30 PM AND CARPOOLING IS SUGGESTED!*** The family is being assisted by Jackie Fulford, Skip Young and James Sircy, of Young Fulford Funeral Home and Crematory, Tallahassee, Florida.

Francis "Frank" Joseph Bach

March 24, 1938 - January 24, 2023