Walt “King Chili” Frankenberger

WALTER C. FRANKENBERGER WAS BORN JUNE 10, 1931, TO EARL AND MARIE (GERRITSON) FRANKENBERGER IN ABERDEEN, SD. HE ATTENDED ABERDEEN CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL AND GRADUATED IN 1949. HE ENTERED THE US AIR FORCE IN 1951 WHERE HE WAS STATIONED IN FT WORTH TEXAS, HIGH WYCOMBE ENGLAND, GOOSE BAY LABRADOR, TUSCON ARIZONA AND ANKARA TURKEY. HE PROUDLY SERVED HIS COUNTRY FOR 21 YEARS. UPON RETIRING FROM THE AIR FORCE HE MOVED BACK TO ABERDEEN SOUTH DAKOTA WHERE HE WAS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER AND FINALLY FINISHED HIS WORKING CAREER WITH 10 YEARS AT WAL-MART. IN 2010 WALT AND MARILEE MOVED TO FT COLLINS COLORAD.

HE MARRIED MARILEE E. MEAR ON JUNE 26, 1954 IN FT. WORTH TEXAS. IN THEIR 58 YEARS OF MARRIAGE THEY ENJOYED CHILI COOK OFFS, TRAVELING AND RAISING THEIR 3 CHILDREN.

WALT WAS VERY ACTIVE IN HIS LOCAL AMERICAN LEGION, 40 ET 8, AND ICS-INTERNATIONAL CHILI SOCIETY. HE COMPETED IN CHILI COOK OFFS WHERE HE FONDLY BECAME KNOWN AS “KING CHILI,” HAVING HIS OWN RECIPE AND TIPS COLUMN IN THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER, “ASK KING CHILI”. WALT LOVED TO COOK AND BAKE, PLAY DARTS, TRAVEL, AND ADD CD’S TO HIS EXTENSIVE MUSIC COLLECTION. WALT WAS A FUN LOVING PERSON WHO LOVED PEOPLE AND HAD A NEVER ENDING SUPPLY OF PRACTICAL JOKES, WISE CRACKS, AND CONVERSATION. THOSE WHO KNEW HIM COULD COUNT ON HIS ANTICS AND KEEN SENSE OF HUMOR.

SURVIVORS INCLUDE HIS WIFE MARILEE OF FORT COLLINS CO.; ONE SON, LEE (LAURA) FRANKENBERGER OF FORT COLLINS CO, TWO DAUGHTERS, SUZANNE (BART) PALMER OF BETHESDA MARYLAND, AND TINIKA (COREY) ROSENBAUM OF ARLINGTON TX. EIGHT GRAND CHILDREN, TIMOTHY PALMER, BRANT PALMER, ERIC PALMER, MICHELLE FRANKENBERGER-FLETCHER, MICHAEL FRANKENBERGER, JASON ROSENBAUM, KAITLYN ROSENBAUM AND ERIN ROSENBAUM; FIVE GREAT-GRAND CHILDREN, JULIA PALMER, SARA PALMER, NATHAN PALMER, AVERY FLETCHER AND ADDISON FLETCHER. ONE SISTER ELIZABETH HEATHMAN OF ABERDEEN, SD AND ONE BROTHER JAMES FRANKENBERGER OF WALKER MN.

WALT WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HIS PARENTS. BURIAL WILL BE IN DALLAS-FT WORTH NATIONAL CEMETERY. IN LIEU OF FLOWERS THE FAMILY REQUESTS YOU CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION TO WOUNDED WARRIORS OR THE ALZHIEMERS ASSOCIATION.