Frank James Riel Jr.

Frank James Riel, Jr. born 1918, died, 2013. Frank Riel died from complications from a stoke in 2011. Frank was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Frank J. Riel, Sr and Edna Southam growing up with his brother Jimmy. He received his B. A. from The Citadel and then served in the Persian Gulf Command in the U. S. Army. In Iran, he met and proposed to Edith Merica who later came to American to marry Frank on Dec 28, 1946. Over the next eleven years Frank and Edith had eight children all of whom have since settled in San Diego County. In 1953 they moved to San Diego and Frank began working as a chemical engineer (Phd Purdue Univeristy) at Narmco and later at Rohr creating over 25 patents for bonding agents in the aerospace industry. After retiring, Frank volunteered as a tutor teaching adults in the Read San Diego Adult Literacy Program. He has been a long time member of the San Diego Zoological Society and parishioner at St. Vincent de Paul Church. Frank is survived by his wife, Edith Riel, his eight children, Richard Riel, Edward Riel, Margaret Riel, Francie Sorem, Carol Benesch, Robert Riel, Elizabeth Gillingham, and Roberta Hartman, and their 22 grandchildren, and soon to be 11 great grandchildren. Services May 17, at 10:00 at St Vincents de Paul. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in this name to the church- Read/San Diego Literacy Program (http://bit.ly/read-sd), Citadel Scholarship fund (632 El Portal Drive Chula Vista, CA. 91914) , or the church, St. Vincent de Paul (4077 Ibis St., SD 92103). Envelopes/websites will be available at the funeral.