After a successful career as an engineer, a decades-long marriage, and serving his fellow man through philanthropic efforts, Frank Ira Doyle passed away in Colorado on September 21 at 8 p.m. at the age of 84.
Frank leaves behind his wife, Patty; their daughter, Alicia; and their sons, Tony and Danny; as well as numerous in-laws, nieces and nephews. Frank, known as “Frankie” by his loved ones, was born in California on August 9 in 1936 to John and Evelyn Doyle. He grew up with his loving sisters, Helen and Irene. Raised Catholic, Frank enjoyed his time as an altar boy, and took great pride in his paper route as a child. His little sister, Irene, remembers the time when Frank taught her how to eat an orange “properly,” and the time he drew pictures on pages of a flip book to make a movie. Later in his life, after attending Seminary School in Napa, Frank joined the Navy, where he served his country proudly. He later went on to earn his Master’s Degree in engineering on the G.I. Bill. A brilliant Rocket Scientist, Frank worked for some of the largest engineering companies in the world, including Boeing.
During his career he reaped many accomplishments, most notably approving the launch of the Cassini Satellite that studied Saturn and its moons. Frank met Patty at a square dance in Colorado. Like a scene from a movie, they spotted each other across a crowded room. Patty approached Frank and said two words: “Nice shirt.” It was love at first sight, and their marriage lasted nearly four decades before he passed away. In the 1970s, Frank and Patty established their lives on a farm called Angel Hill in Strasburg, Colorado, where they immersed themselves in a life of philanthropy. They founded The High Five Plains Foundation that helped many struggling and impoverished families, and were also the hosts of The Frank and Patty Show, which aired on local radio for decades. Considered brilliant by all who knew him, Frank was deeply intense and contemplative over the mysterious beauty and pain of life, and often spoke about the light and dark side of the human condition.
Frank was filled with wisdom which he shared in this reflection: “Life is a series of goals or projects that inspire and fulfill us; but there are down times. Vacuums in our psyche that occur when we pass through the inevitable disenchantment with our current life's course. This is normal, and not to be concerned about.” Frank was a survivor with angels at his side. One of his most profound experiences was the time he survived a car crash while driving from Washington State to Strasburg Colorado. Frank was fulfilling an engineering contract at the time, and drove home every weekend to see Patty. On the drive home, Frank fell asleep at the wheel, forcing his car to tumble several times before coming to a stop. Authorities who responded to the crash used the Jaws of Life to extract Frank from the totaled automobile. Frank walked away without a scratch.
Frank’s loving wife, Patty, was a nurse in the Army, and selflessly cared for Frank in his final years. The love they shared will live forever in the home they built together in Strasburg, and in the hearts of everyone who knew and loved Frank. In addition to his wife, daughter and two sons, Frank is survived by his mother-in-law, Helen; his sister, Irene; his grandchildren, Trenton, Desiree, Blake and Hudson; his great-granddaughters, Bailey and Brooke; and numerous brother-in-laws, sister-in-laws, nieces and nephews. Frank requested to be cremated. As a Military Veteran, his ashes will be interred at Pikes Peak National Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
A Military service will take place at 9 a.m. on October 2. In lieu of flowers, Patty is requesting donations to the Strasburg Volunteer Fire Department, which assisted Frank numerous times in emergency situations. Donations can be mailed to the Strasburg Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 911, Strasburg, CO 80136. To contact the Strasburg Volunteer Fire Department, email [email protected]; or call 303-622-4444, extension 1. THE NATIONAL CEMETERY ADMINSTRATION HAS IMPLEMENTED SAFETY MEASURES AND HAS LIMITED THE NUMBER OF ATTENDEES TO 25.
