Frank A. Webster, 73, of Gilman, died Tuesday, Mar. 6, 2018, at Grinnell Regional Medical Center. A visitation was held from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, Mar. 11, at Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell. Condolences may be shared at www.smithfh.com.
Frank Albert Webster was born the son of Oscar and Rita (Elliott) Webster on Nov. 8, 1944, at their home in Reasnor. He was raised and educated in Reasnor and Colfax respectively.
Frank honorably served in the United States Navy from 1963 to 1965 and was stationed at Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, TX. He was honorably discharged April 1965, and he returned to live in Colfax for a short while before moving to Grinnell. There he met the love of his life, Barbara Ellen Miller, and after their third date, the couple was united in marriage on Mar. 18, 1967, at the Four-Square Church in Newton. Their journey began in Grinnell and over the next few years took them around Iowa and Minnesota and then back to Grinnell in 1970 when he started working for Golden Sun Feeds. In 1977, Frank and the family moved to Killeen, TX, where he began a new career as a prison guard with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In 1982, Frank and the family moved back to Iowa where they found their longtime home in Gilman. He worked at D & P Lumberyard until he began a longtime career as a custodian at the Grinnell Middle School, retiring in 2009.
Frank spent countless hours woodworking in his shop, helping anyone who needed it as a lock- smith or handyman, going to the casino to play the slots, poker, and people watching, and he enjoyed traveling to new areas and looking at “God’s country.” He had a love for the kids at his school and always had a pocket full of candy to hand out; he is still known as the candy man in those hallways. Frank will be remembered for his quick wit, being a prankster, for his incredible work ethic, never missing an opportunity to lend a helping hand, and most of all, for being a loving husband, father, grandfather, and loyal friend.
Frank is survived by his wife of 51 years, Barb Webster of Gilman; two children, William (Tamara) Webster of Lake Havasu City, AZ, and Kristina (Jason) Briggs of Mesa, AZ; four grandchildren (Jamesen, Ashley, Serena, Colton, and soon-to-be-born Caleb Frank Briggs); and his siblings, John (Becky) Webster of Newton, Mary Revell of Texas, and Judy Webster of Newton. He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Edna Braaksma, Viola Trease, Gene Webster, William O. Webster, and Linda Webster.
