Lt. Col (RET.) Frank Earl Winkler

Lt Col (Ret.) Frank E. Winkler passed away at his home in Montgomery, Alabama on November 2, 2026. Born in Akron, Ohio on November 15, 1944, to Frank J. Winkler and Madeline Shafer Winkler, he grew up in East Liberty in Green Township which is now Green, Ohio. He and his sister Norma and brother John all gained wonderful experience helping in the family store run by their grandfather and Grandmother Shafer and their mom. With his grandfather’s farm just down the road Frank developed a firm and much-loved connection with nature and the outdoors. His Dad instilled the never wavering work ethic and deep love of learning about “everything,” and dedication to family.

He graduated from Green High School in 1962 and attended Kent State University. His focus was to be in the Air Force, so ROTC was the perfect path, but he also needed to declare a major. When the university started a new degree program in Political Science--Police Administration, it was the perfect answer, allowing him to follow in his Grandfather’s Detective footsteps. Upon graduation March 1967 he was commission 2nd. Lt in the USAF and moved to his first assignment, Operations Officer of the Security Police Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada. The next almost 25 years included assignments to Balikesir, Turkey (remote tour), 332nd Security Police Squadron Rhein Main Air Base, Germany, the Commandant of the USAFE Military working Dog Center in Wiesbaden, HQ/ USAFE/SPP, Ramstein AB, Germany, squadron commander of the 3282nd School Squadron in the Security Police Academy at Lackland AFB, Texas, HQ AFLC (Wright Patterson, Dayton, OH) as Chief, Security Police Equipment Monitoring Activity, Squadron Commander/Chief Security Police Altus AFB, Squadron Commander/Chief Security Police Hahn AB, Germany and his final assignment Chief of the Security Police Automated Systems (SPAS) development program at Gunter Air Force Base Montgomery Alabama. Frank retired from the United States Air Force August 1991.

In the middle of his first assignment to Nellis AFB in June 1968 he returned home to Ohio to marry the Early Childhood Education major he met at Kent State University, Rose McParland Winkler. They completely loved and supported each other for 58 years. In 1974, while in Ramstein Germany, their son, Brian Winkler, was born and joined the military moves and adventures.

After retirement from the Air Force, Frank became the Executive Director of Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO), a small United Way agency under the Board direction of retired General Charles “Chick” Cleveland and worked for 18 years to bring programs and education to at-risk youth in several Montgomery neighborhoods through the CARE program. The highlight was the initiation of Kids-N-Kops Day in the early 1990’s.

Frank also continued his built-in desire to serve by volunteering in various ways throughout the community—as a choir member of the Gunter AFB Catholic Community, Lector at Sunday morning Mass at Holy Family Catholic Community, Maxwell AFB, as a radio reader for the blind, as a member of the CrimeStoppers Board of Directors, and as “the” photographer for a myriad of church events, Rose’s garden club and civic events.

Frank Winkler was a dedicated Air Force Security Police Officer; a loving, caring and protective husband and father; a life-long learner who enjoyed a good discussion, loved to share stories of the past, and was an excellent writer who was quick to put his thoughts on paper and share them. He was deeply loved and will be greatly missed.

We would like to thank all of our friends for the variety of well wishes that kept him positive, Frank’s doctors, especially Dr. Scott McDaniel and his staff at the Montgomery Cancer Center, particularly Ashley Mann, and ACG Hospice and his nurse Brittany Whitmore. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Tunnel To Towers Foundation (https://T2T.org) or Montgomery Humane Society, 1150 John Overton Drive, Montgomery, AL 36110 (https://www.montgomeryhumane.com/donate/donate-online)