Frank Lyon Barger

December 31, 1928 – December 11, 2016

Frank Lyon Barger passed away on December 11th, just 20 days short of his 97th birthday on New Year’s Eve. He leaves behind a legacy of kindness, dedication, and cherished memories. Frank was a beloved family member, devoted friend, and respected member of his community. His warmth, wit, and compassion touched the lives of all who had the privilege to know him.

He is preceded in death by his parents: Frank McLean Barger and Eleanor Corie (Lyon) Barger, wife: Frances Hope (George) Barger and sister: Corie Bowman (Barger) Connell. He is survived by his daughter Marilyn Ann (Barger) Higgs, son in law Patrick Lee Higgs, son Robert Lyon Barger, daughter in law Brenda Kay (Blough) Barger, son Russell Kirby Barger, daughter in law Trinh (Tran) Barger, 7 grandchildren and sixteen great children.

Frank was born in El Paso, Texas on December 31, 1928. He graduated from El Paso High School. He attended Texas Western College (UTEP), received a BS degree in Chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a MS degree from the University of Texas-Austin. He was an Army Veteran that served during the Korean War.

After completing his Army service, Frank started his career with TEXACO in Port Arthur, Texas. It was in Port Arthur where he met the love of his life Frances (Fran) George. They were married on May 7, 1955, and remained married for more than 61 years until Fran’s death, December 7, 2016. Frank worked his whole career with TEXACO Research in Port Arthur. He was hired as a Computer Technologist in the early 1950’s when a computer filled a large room and Computer Science degrees did not exist. He worked for TEXACO Research in computer-related activities until he retired in the mid-1980’s. Frank was named as an inventor on 13 U.S. patents related to his work at TEXACO after he retired.

Frank and Fran spent much of their time traveling and spending time with children and grandchildren. They moved to The Woodlands, Texas in 1997 to be closer to their daughter and ultimately all three children lived nearby.

Frank was a great athlete. He was well known as a great Tennis player and was Nationally Ranked as a Junior and Ranked in the State of Texas as a Senior. His first trophy is from 1943, and his last one was the WTA Spring Classic Men’s 80 Singles Champion 2008. He was also an avid golfer, scoring four holes-in-one, a great bowler and ping pong player. He played golf and pickleball into his 90’s.

Frank supported over forty-five charities and volunteered at the George and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Library. He was most fond of the Spirit of Joy! Lutheran Church and the people that attended services there.

A memorial service to honor Frank’s life will be at 1:00PM on January 3, 2026, at the Spirit of Joy! Lutheran Church, located at 7550 Crownridge Drive in The Woodlands. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the Spirit of Joy! Lutheran Church

Frank will be dearly missed and fondly remembered.