Elmer Frank Tiahrt Jr.

He was born on April 24th, 1943 to Marjorie and Elmer Tiahrt Sr. He had several nicknames including Sonny, Elmer Jr. and Frank. He grew up in a farming family in Paso Robles and later Williams, CA. He was the eldest of 4 with siblings leaving behind Ron (spouse Cindy, daughters Jan Noris and Jill Tiahrt), Edith DeVito and Lyle.

Frank was devoted to his faith and spent his life following God's footsteps and teachings. He attended college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. As a young man, Frank married Barbara Stipe and together they had two daughters, Brenda Mayo (husband Mike, children Elizabeth Milanese (husband Joel) and Jonathon (daughter Henlie). Second daughter Linda Bishop (husband Brian, children Liam and Casey).

Frank loved the outdoors and watching sports. He also enjoyed boating, water skiing, fishing, and softball. He was a fun-loving and family-oriented and spent many afternoons playing games of family kickball, swimming in his backyard pool, and later coaching his daughters' softball teams. He had over 30 nieces and nephews between the Stipe and Tiahrt families and was known as the "fun Uncle".

He had a variety of careers including banking, insurance sales, hardware store owner, boiler room operator and RV park owner. Frank was very handy around the house. He was meticulous and could even be called a bit of a perfectionist. He believed in measuring twice and cutting once. His motto was 'Be the job big or small, do it right or not at all'. In fact, Frank was known to create rather elaborate diagrams and graphs before beginning projects whether at work or just fixing a fence post at home.

Later, after Frank's first marraige ended, he met and married Annabelle in 1991. They lived in California, Michigan, and Arizona. Together, along with their grandchildren, enjoyed boating and fishing on Lake McSwain and spending time around Pinecrest Lake. With their beloved pet poodle, Abby, they traveled in their RV and kept busy with their new large family including Ann's daughters: Debbie Lyon (deceased, husband Jimi), Cindy Martinez, (2 children), Carol Lytle (husband Bob, 2 children), Barbara Nash (husband Dick, 2 children), Brenda Gonzales (husband Gary, 3 children) and a grand total of 19 great grandchildren.

Frank had several hobbies after he retired and he and Ann spent many hunting seasons in Michigan where Frank hunted deer. Frank was an avid SF Giants fan and enjoyed trips to San Francisco to watch games and enjoy sourdough bread, crab and cool ocean air. Additionally, Frank was an accomplished wood turner who enjoyed sourcing materials and making beautiful bowls and pens. Eventually, Frank and Ann sold their Merced home and moved full time to Mesa, Arizona. They loved their little home and spent many evenings on their front porch enjoying the sunset and watching the goings on in their sprawling RV resort. Frank passed away in his sleep on September 7th, 2026 at the age of 83.

He'll be remembered by his love of God, his perserverence through physical obstacles, his gentle manner, sense of humor and above all, his smile.

The family wishes to acknowledge the excellent care he recieved at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of East Valley and Advanced Health Care of Mesa. He also came to appreciate the help and kindness of the administration, Caretakers and Med Techs at Inspirations of Mesa Assisted Living during his last 14 months.

His Celebration of Life will be held Monday, September 28th, 2026 at 1 pm at Lakeshore Mortuary, 1815 S Dobson Rd., Mesa, Arizona 85202