Alexander John "Alex" DeFrank

Alexander John DeFrank, 22, of Tallahassee, FL, passed away Monday, May 11, 2020. Although he was born in Cuenca, Ecuador, he was as Southern as you can get. He was working to become an auto mechanic from Lively Technical College.

He loved everything about the outdoors, camping, hunting, and especially fishing. He earned the nickname “Catfish” in Cub Scouts when catching the only catfish on a campout and he never stopped fishing. The things he loved most were his family, friends, and his truck. He had a soft heart and was always willing to help other people no matter the time of day or circumstance. Animals loved him, and he loved them all from cats, to dogs, and even a panther.

Mechanics was a fast passion of his, and he never ceased to seize the opportunity to learn all he could about it. He would go to school for 32 hours a week, work for 20 hours a week, and you still could find him underneath his truck on a Sunday afternoon. His passions were reflected in his last two jobs in life, Oakwood Animal Hospital and Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet. When he wasn’t working on his truck, he loved to play video games on his computer or pull pranks on others. Alex loved country music, and you could always find him in a baseball cap which he loved dearly.

Alex was preceded in death by his grandparents, Bill and Virginia DeFrank, and Elvin Boles; and his uncle, Gerard DeFrank.

He is survived by his parents, Paul and Rebecca DeFrank; sister, Ashley DeFrank of Valdosta, GA; grandmother, Lavon Boles of Huntsville, AL, aunts, Sandra Swalley (Michael) of Richmond, VA, Linda DeFrank of Birmingham, AL, and Regina Paulette DeFrank of Tuscaloosa, AL; uncle, Michael DeFrank (Gina) of Trussville, AL; cousins, Matthew DeFrank of Charleston, SC, Dawn DeFrank of Birmingham, AL, Skylar DeFrank of Birmingham, AL, Adam Swalley and Justin Swalley (Genni) of Charleston, SC; and Logan Swalley of Charleston, SC.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests a donation in Alex’s name to either Big Oak Ranch (bigoak.org and select donation or P.O. Box 507 Springville, AL 35146), An Open Door Adoption Agency (218 E Jackson St., Thomasville, GA 31792), and/or the Tallahassee Museum (3945 Museum Rd. Tallahassee, FL 32310).