Frank B. Milstead, Jr., a long-time resident of Mobile, passed away on August 17, 2022. Born in Newnan, GA in 1928 to Frank and Nan Milstead, Frank moved often in his childhood, attending high school in Pensacola, Florida. He graduated in 1944 at age sixteen. He subsequently enrolled at Georgia Tech but enlisted in the Army after one year.
While waiting to be shipped overseas, Frank met the love of his life, Sally Jeffries, at an Army base in Pittsburgh. Frank always laughed that the ensuing courtship was made much easier since Sally was there with her uncle, a prominent Air Force colonel, who scared off all the other buck privates.
Frank was stationed in Germany where, among other duties, he played football for the Berlin Bears as quarterback and punter. Returning stateside and taking advantage of the GI bill to graduate at Georgia Tech with a degree in electrical engineering, Frank rekindled his romance with Sally and married her. Following the wedding, he started work in technical sales for Westinghouse Corporation, eventually taking a job with Nalco Chemical Company in Birmingham, AL.
After rising to national sales manager with Nalco, and he was told by Sally that he could take a potential large promotion at the home office in Chicago only if he went alone, Frank made the right choice and began working with The Five Guys in 1979 in Mobile. He retired in 1993 after being a partner on a Five Guys sales team that set national records.
Frank loved Sally and his family, golf, his many friends, and Dauphin Island. Over the years he served in various roles with Dauphin Way United Methodist Church and was an active member of KOR Mardi Gras Society.
Though his work required Frank and the family to move to many cities in the Southeast, his dry sense of humor, and his sociable, magnetic personality quickly gained him friends wherever he went. Frank always had a twinkle in his eye and was quick with a laugh and a joke. The combination of Frank, a natural entertainer and storyteller, and Sally, whose characteristic laugh could light up a room, formed a delightful and charismatic team that made all feel welcome.
Frank is survived by his three sons, Gary (Judeann) of St. Augustine, FL, Jeff (Linda) of Atlanta, GA, and David (Lee) of Fairhope, AL; his five grandchildren, Quinn and Bailey of St. Augustine, Ross and Elizabeth of Atlanta GA, and Christian of Fairhope, AL, as well as one great-grandson, Cooper. He is preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Nan Milstead, Sr., wife, Sally and brother, Charlie.
A visitation will be held at Dauphin Way Methodist Church on Thursday, August 25, at 2:30 p.m., followed by a service there at 3:30 p.m. The family asks that all donations and memorials be sent to Dauphin Way United Methodist Church.
