Frank Arthur Ouseley Jr.

December 16, 1942 – March 6, 2020

There’s a new entrant into Heaven’s next marathon. Frank passed peacefully surrounded by the love of his daughters, sisters, and family. He will be remembered as a loving and loyal father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend.

Born and raised in Illinois with his two beautiful younger sisters Shirley and Betty, he attended undergraduate school at Southern Illinois University and graduate school at South Dakota State. At times prone to slight exaggerations, he described often walking to class uphill on paths plowed through 8 feet of snow and temperatures so cold his eyebrows would turn white. Frank went on to serve the federal government for many years, including time spent working for the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Mint followed by many years with the Mapping Division at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) – not a surprising path for a young man who had once convinced his mother to let him set up a printing press in their basement in Villa Park, Illinois. Frank retired from the Federal Government in order to pursue a doctorate degree in Psychology. This allowed him to provide psychological counseling and clinical testing to the elderly, incarcerated and substance abuse populations. He retired from this profession while living in Siesta Key, Florida, where stayed until the passing of his wife Jill, to whom he was married for 35 years.

In his 30s, Frank won the battle against the bulge, losing over 100 pounds. It was during this time that he became an avid marathon runner. While still with the USGS, Frank went on breakfast runs with his buddies in the Geostriders, lunchtime runs during which he not-so-unintentionally ran past his manager’s window during work meetings, frequent outings with the Reston Runners, and long weekend runs from the Vienna Caboose which involved the telling of plenty of jokes, both good and bad as remembered fondly by his long-time friend John Repetski. During the year following his wife’s passing, Frank and his daughter Chrissy went for many runs together, during which he counseled her through that significant change in their lives. (His running was not always benevolent, though – he once took pride in leaving Chrissy’s college beau in the dust after he started out too fast on a run they all took together, giggling all the while). He ran numerous Marine Corps Marathons and Boston Marathons, the last of which was featured in the April 29, 2005 article “No Bypassing Boston” in the Sarasota Herald Tribune, because he had undergone a quadruple bypass less than one year prior. He was joined in that race by his good friend John “Maddog” Wallace, with whom he later ran a milestone race for Maddog in the Kingdom of Bhutan followed by a stay in Moorea, French Polynesia. Some of his best friends were made through running, capped off by the wonderful folks he met in Sarasota including Maddog, Linda, Cynthia, Tom and Gene.

Frank’s need for speed did not stop with running – in the 1960s he was the proud co-owner of a gold Dodge Charger which he raced in Oswego, Illinois, as well as a BMW that he “outran the cops in” once in order to evade an imminent speeding ticket in Virginia. When it came time to get a family car, he selected a Volvo wagon – not for its safety features, but because it had the horsepower to help him leave the tollbooths faster than everyone else. He continued this tradition in Florida when he bought a cherry red Volkswagen GTI and had it modified with practically every available sport option, nicknaming it the “Red Racer.”

At other times, Frank sought solitude and reflection in fine art and listening to countless hours of Mahler and Beethoven, the latter of whom he shared a birthday with and studied extensively. His musical beginnings included a proficiency for piano – his neighbors enjoying the sounds of Autumn Leaves during hot summers when he practiced with the windows open – as well as teaching himself to play the guitar while in college. Following his example, his daughter Lexie grew to share his love of Beethoven, choosing to play a portion of Symphony No. 3 in E Flat Major, Opus 55 "Eroica" while Frank walked her down the aisle at her wedding. He ensured that Lexie saw the Barnes Collection, known for its world class impressionist paintings, at its original home in Merion, Pennsylvania and wowed the crowd with his elegant box-step with Chrissy at her wedding. He serenaded both daughters each year with his rendition of “Happy Birthday” in his characteristic whisky tenor and treated them to his dancing skills at the “Stoke Stomp and Strut,” a Gatsby-esque roaring twenties jazz fling previously held every other year on the grounds of Stoke mansion. This lively event occurred near “Aldie Gold” -- the home Frank and his wife built in Aldie, Virginia, where they raised Chrissy and Lexie with the help of their treasured second family, the Skinners, Workmans and Fairfaxes.

Frank also found joy in spiritual, intellectual, and fantastical pursuits. This ranged from reading Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning”, to spending time at the Holy Cross Monastery, an Anglican Benedictine Community of Men and Monastic Enclosure dedicated to the role prayer and contemplation can play in sustaining social justice efforts. He also ensured that his daughters became well-versed in the good-triumphing-over-evil wonders of Star Wars, The Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Thus, earning his nickname “The Mad Monk.” Frank also sought recovery with the friends of Bill, telling his daughters he wanted to be alive to see their milestones. He received his 25 year chip shortly before his passing.

Frank was also a devoted friend and grandfather. Mere weeks before his passing, he was proposing a get together with his friend of 60 years Jack Nuckols, including a large Italian feast reminiscent of the Sunday family meals that Jack and his wife Virginia welcomed Frank and his family to in West Virginia. He also exchanged daily, if not hourly, emails with his childhood best friend and best man, Ken Sula, who he knew for more than 70 years. Their lively discussions included many topics from politics, to their never-failing support of one another through good times and bad, as well as the age-old White Sox versus Cubs debate. These debates with Ken, as well as a 45+ year basketball pool with George Dellagiarino (a fellow Reston Runner who will be running a marathon in Frank’s honor in the coming weeks), often resulted in the exchange of the same $10.00 bet back and forth between the winners. When Frank won, he often tried to sneak the winnings into his grandchildren’s piggy banks – one of many reasons he will be remembered as the Best Pappi Ever.

As is often the case, Frank’s health deteriorated at the end of his life. His daughters are grateful for the exceptional care he received at The Katherine & Charles Hover Green Houses in Longmont, Colorado. Despite his failing health, his last days included a moment where Lexie visited him, and he asked the nurse “Isn’t she beautiful?” and on the day of his passing, despite being very weak, he woke suddenly and reached out with both arms to hug Chrissy one last time. They will miss him dearly.

Frank was preceded in death by his parents Frank and Esther Ouseley, his wife Jill Kugler Ouseley, and his brother in law Henry “Hank” Pietras. He is survived by his treasured daughters Christine (Chrissy the “Soul Buddy”) Gephart and Alexis (Lexie the “Pepper Candy”) Handrich, to whom he leaves a legacy of always being their number one cheerleader; his grandchildren Marsh and Lily Gephart who he hopes will continue to love one another as much as he loved them; his sisters Shirley Pietras and Betty Clairmont of whom he is exceptionally proud to have been a big brother; his sons-in-law Marshall Gephart and Kirk Handrich who he thanks for loving and supporting his daughters; his brothers and sisters-in-law Gary and Eileen Kugler, William “Bill” Kugler, Jr. and Elizabeth “Libby” Kugler, and David Clairmont, his nieces and nephews Jason and Jeffrey (“Jeff”) Kugler, Jenifer and Johnny Mandella, Nick and Surrey Pietras, Ginger Lane, and Mindy Kuehl, and Brandon, Kevin and Timothy Clairmont, all of whom he thanks for their love and many happy family memories; and last but not least, his grandpets Bear (“Bear-dog”) Gephart and Wanda (“Wandita”) and Pietro (“The Big Boy”) Handrich to whom he leaves endless pets and scratches.

Per Frank’s wishes, a private spreading of his ashes will take place with immediate family thanks to the loving help of his “second family,” in Aldie, Virginia. The family is honoring Frank’s memory with donations to Back on My Feet, a national organization which combats homelessness through the power of running, community support and essential employment and housing resources. Donations can be made in many forms, please see https://backonmyfeet.org/donate/.