Helen R. Frank

Helen Rose Frank, age 88, passed away on Monday, August 22nd at Baptist Medical Center South in Jacksonville, surrounded by her family. Formerly of Beverly Hills, FL, she and her husband, John, had recently moved to an assisted living facility in Jacksonville to be closer to immediate family.

She leaves her devoted husband of 68 years, John F. Frank, her six children and spouses, John and Patricia, Arlene and Bill (Geiler), Karen and Jeff (Fugelsang), Lorraine, Christopher, and Marianne and Joe (Lamagese), and her much loved 14 grandchildren, David (Jennifer), Elizabeth, Eric (Katie), Timothy, Kerry (Darius), Bill, Laura, Sarah, Edward, Jeffrey, Matthew, Cassandra, Lauren, and Emily, and 4 great-grandchildren, Quenton, Dylan, Laura and Addison.

She was born in Queens New York on Saturday, January 21, 1928, the third child of Anna (Weilbacher) and Maximillian Pfister. She was predeceased by her brother Arthur and sister Anna (Slezak). She married John on May 1st, 1948 and moved to Long Island, first Levittown, and then Farmingdale where she was a faithful wife, mother and homemaker raising the six Frank children. She eventually went back to work as a sales clerk for Woolworths department store on Long Island, before moving to Beverly Hills with John in 1987.

She was the matriarch of a loving extended family. The Pfister, Slezak and Frank extended family of some 60 participants had recently gathered from across the country at a family reunion in North Carolina. Though she could not be present due to her declining health, she spoke to the gathering via phone and left them a message, “Family is what counts most, always love one another.” All who were blessed to know her were uplifted with the warmth of her smile, her gentle spirit, her model of love, humor and wit.

She was a model of caring forgiving love, deeply rooted in her catholic faith. When Helen and John moved to Beverly Hills in Citrus County, they lived an active retirement among many friends and couples associated with Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, the VFW, the Fishing Club, Knights of Columbus, and other community organizations. Helen was an active participant in the parish community of Our Lady of Grace, where she served in numerous capacities including membership in the Catholic Women’s Club, a eucharistic minister, religious education programs and other ministries of the parish.

The family will receive friends for a wake service on Wednesday evening, August 24th, from 6-8pm at Fero Funeral Home, located at 5955 N. Lecanto Hwy (Route 491), Beverly Hills, FL. A catholic mass celebrating her life will take place the next morning at 9am, on Thursday, August 25th, at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church located at 6 Roosevelt Blvd, Beverly Hills, followed immediately by burial at Memorial Gardens, 5891 N. Lecanto Hwy, Beverly Hills, FL.

Fero Funeral Home

www.ferofuneralhome.com