Frank Thomas Friet, 80, passed away on Tuesday April 23, 2024.

Beloved husband to Carol (nee Fritts) for 58 years. Loving Father to Frank S. Friet and Tatia (Brian) Kortepeter. Dear grandfather to Leigh Anne (Tim) Hoormann, Lauren (Lavan) Lee, Lily Kortepeter and Jake Kortepeter. Beloved great grandfather to Lucy, Charles, Lincoln, Josie, Eloise and Noah. Dear brother-in-law to Jim (Mary Catherine) Fritts, Kay (Neil Coffey) Sholders, Mary Frances Fritts, Janet (John) Payne, Edward (Nancy)Fritts and Mary Friet. Uncle, cousin, and friend to many. He is preceded in death by his father Sylvester, mother Betty, his brother Joseph, and daughter in law, Mary Ann.

Frank was born and raised in Ottawa, Illinois, and received his mechanical engineering degree from Bradley University.  Soon after, he moved to St. Louis with his wife Carol and started a 46 year career at McDonnell-Douglas and Boeing as a strength engineer working on fighter jets.  While he evolved with changing technology, he also held strong to what he felt were tried and true methods.  As an example, any new engineer who joined his team had to endure the slide rule speed/accuracy challenge.  The newbie would choose a math problem and use a calculator while Frank worked on the same problem with his trusty slide rule.  He eventually retired the challenge with a 64-0 record and somewhat impressed coworkers.  He took great pride in his work, coworker relationships, and all that he accomplished in his career there.

He married his wife Carol in 1965, and they have been constant companions for 59 years.  Always by each other's sides, partners through the good times and the bad, sharing all the moments and feelings and interests together, with the special kind of love that carries two people along a journey of so many years side by side.

His life outside of work revolved around his family, being a husband and father, and being an active member of St. Monica parish for 53 years, serving as a longtime lector and communion minister.  He combined parish life with family through his many years involved with the St. Monica athletic association – as coach for both his son Frank and daughter Tatia in soccer, basketball, baseball, and softball.  He enjoyed the years of bonding with all of the kids that he coached through the years and would always try to do a little extra – such as when he threw end-of-season parties and handed out "Frank awards" (with a hot dog on them) for superlatives that every member of the team would receive.  He also served in various time-consuming posts: overseeing the sports field, running the concession stand, and as the parish athletic coordinator.  St. Monica has been a key part of his life, both through the children he shepherded through the years of athletics and through all the friendships and connections he made with fellow parishioners and maintained over time.

Other hobbies included wood working.  He built a large fort on stilts in his yard, including an attic, a slide pole, and a swing rope, for his son and friends to spend hours and hours playing in.  He also built a large detailed Victorian dollhouse for his daughter, complete with electricity wired inside the walls of the house.

His later years brought grandchildren and attending their show choir and music events as well as even more sports, although now as strictly a spectator.  He was a strong figure in their lives, a presence at all the celebrations and events even when that meant getting in a car and traveling hours to be there.  More recently in his retirement years a little spice was added to his life through the six cutest great grandkids you could possibly meet.  But the overarching themes through the years were devotion to his family and his faith.

He lived a good life, as those around him can attest, and he will be sorely missed.

Services: Visitation will be Sunday April 28, 2024, 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Funeral Mass on Monday April 29, 2024, at 10:00 am at St. Monica Catholic Church, Creve Coeur, followed by interment at St. Peters Cemetery, Kirkwood.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to St. Monica's St. Vincent DePaul Society or the Alex and Ali Foundation for young adults with developmental disabilities (thealexandalifoundation.com).

Ortmann Stipanovich Funeral Home    www.osfuneralhomes.com