Eldon E. Frankhouser

Eldon Frankhouser of Golden Lane, Lima, passed away Sunday, January 19, 2014, after 94 good and great years of living. Eldon was born in Lorain, Ohio on December 12, 1919. He was preceded in death by his mother, Mabelle (Walsh) Frankhouser, and father, Taylor Frankhouser, his son, Steven, his great-grandson, Trey Zwiebel, 2 brothers and 3 sisters. Eldon is survived by his wife, Bette (Patch); two daughters, Barbara (Gary) Staley of Harrod and Rebecca (John) Blank of Weston, Ohio and a son, Richard (Julia Byrd) of North Port, Florida; Eldon’s dearly loved 15 grandchildren; and 30 great-grandchildren; his sister, Mabel Schmidt of Detroit and his brother and sister-in-law, Todd (Joan Ford) Frankhouser of Lima, and many nieces, nephews, and their families.

Eldon and Bette were married March 7, 1941 in Jerome Township, Ohio, and enjoyed nearly 73 years together. Shortly after the birth of their second child, Eldon entered the U.S. Navy, proudly serving in the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters of World War II as a submariner. Eldon received an honorable discharge in 1946. Eldon was a skilled refrigeration, air conditioning, and heating specialist, serving a number of employers in labor and management, even operating his own business, Al’s Refrigeration, and continuing to provide services long after his retirement from Boughan Brothers in Lima in 1983. Eldon was a retired member of the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union #776. Bette and Eldon joined the Westminster United Methodist Church many years prior to his death.

Eldon enjoyed work and play. He was an avid gardener, golfer, and camper. At one time or another, he held memberships in many of the area golf courses, especially Colonial Hills, which was closest to the Brentlinger Road home he and Bette shared for 65 years. Bette and Eldon enjoyed several years of square dancing. They also loved live theater and music whether at a local playhouse, concert hall or the Allen County Fair, where they were multiple winners of the fair’s longest married couple award. Being a sports fanatic, it is rumored that in the pre-television days, Eldon would listen to two or three radios at the same time so as not to miss a free throw, touchdown, or putt on the multiple broadcasts.

In lieu of flowers, Eldon’s family asks that donations be made to the Westminster Methodist Church, 6650 Faulkner Road, Harrod, Ohio 45850.

Bette and her children invite friends and family to call on them at Siferd-Orians Funeral Home, 506 North Cable Road, Lima, on Tuesday, January 21st between the hours of 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM. A brief memorial service will begin at 3:30 PM in the funeral home.