It is with deep sadness that I post today.
Many of us have lost a very dear friend and this community has lost a champion for safety and information.
It was Jack Frank who pioneered the notion that a community needed FACTUAL and timely information via the internet to keep ourselves safe and to know what was happening in our community.
I spent most of the day yesterday at St. Anthony saying goodbye to a man who has changed my life forever for the good.
There are no words to adequately explain what he has meant to me for so many years.
A friend, a mentor and at times, a moral compass. He was the standard bearer of integrity.
He so loved this community and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to keep us safe or at the least to warn us of obstacles we might encounter in our day.
Jack Frank lost his battle this morning to Stage 4 Melanoma Cancer. He put up a brave fight.
To the last of his days he continued to serve others. That is just who he was.
I will miss my dear friend and partner in crime. I thank him for his friendship and all that he taught me.
His legacy will live on in all of us who called him friend and benefited from his thoughtful and at times critical analysis of (especially mine) behavior. He was a perfectionist at all times in everything he did.
He was my rock.
We were extremely unlikely friends. I was the crazy extrovert that he worked so hard to keep grounded and he was the quiet recluse. He was a faithful and loyal friend to me and my life has been so much better for knowing him.
Thank you Jack Frank. I love you and I will forever miss you.
I only had the opportunity to meet Jack in person once,
But talked to him several times on the phone and on line.
He was an extraordinary person that cared deeply about this community.
I can say with certainty that the contribution he provided in the early days of creating an alternative site was invaluable.
He was available and always williing to do what the we needed.
What a dignified voice of reason. His knowledge and kindness will never be forgotten,
My admiration to a truthful and caring man . He will always be a part of this community. I'll miss his wisdom
jmc
JMC
The following user(s) said Thank You: ScienceChic, CC
Thank you for writing this, Becky. I wish I had known him. And I think we all wish that when our time here is ended, we will be worthy of words such as yours.
Our community has lost an incredible servant. A man who dedicated countless hours to making sure that we were as well informed as possible of emergency situations. Who built an amazing storehouse of information and archives of past events on Disaster Support Volunteers
, creating a legacy that will live beyond him.
I only had the pleasure of hanging out with Jack a couple of times, but we spoke and emailed much more. He was, as JMC said, integral to the start of this site; it couldn't have been done without him. He was one of our first moderators and always fair, impartial, and unflappable; I knew I could always count on him to help or provide good advice. He also had a great sense of humor! Even when dealing with stressful situations, he'd find a way to crack a joke or lighten the mood in that calm way of his.
What I admired most about him was his integrity. You knew where you stood with him and he wasn't afraid to speak his mind when he saw an injustice. He never called names, he was never mean, but he laid it out truthfully, clearly, and frankly. I have tried my best to follow his example.
My deepest condolences to those who knew and loved him. He was an irreplacable character and will be greatly missed.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
That he did means a lot to me. You knew you couldn't go wrong if you had his blessing/approval (or, at least, weren't hearing otherwise from him - he had quite the impressive "colorful" vocabulary! LOL).
Please let us know if there will be any type of gathering for him, or if we can help organize one. I know he wasn't big on fancy ceremony, preferred a simple, quiet life, but he impacted a great many people who might like to gather to share memories and remember the friend we had.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
Jack has expressed that he wanted no formal ceremony. He has asked to be laid to rest next to his Mother in Leadville. The family has expressed a desire to have a small graveside service for him.
I mentioned today in a conversation with his family that there are so many here who would like to celebrate his quiet, yet amazing life and they felt that was a wonderful idea.
As soon as things settle a bit.....let's promise to meet somewhere and throw a few beers down and remember what an amazing friend he was to all of us in his own uniquely personal way.
While I didn't know Jack personally, I "knew" him when he responded to some of my posts. He always did so with integrity and sound rationale (speaking of in The Courthouse, mostly). That we could actually discuss things in a civil manner even though we were kind of opposite in our political thinking, speaks well of who this man was. I'm very sorry for your loss, Becky, and for the loss to the My Mountain Town community.
