Frank Haydn Greinke

Greinke, Frank Haydn
Frank was born on December 31, 1931 in Joliet, Illinois, son of Baptist missionaries. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1946. Frank graduated from Belmont High School and attended Los Angeles City College and Pepperdine University. Mr. Greinke was employed by Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company and later at Standard Oil (Chevron USA) in various fields of accounting and as a wholesale fuel representative from 1952 to 1965. Frank married Margaret Brennan in 1952 and together they raised five children. They moved from La Canada to Tustin in 1965 when they purchased their oil business which became Greinke Petroleum, Tri-County Fuels, and later changing the name to Southern Counties Oil Company in 1976. Expansion of the business included Desert Counties Oil Company of Barstow, headed by Donovan Greinke as President, Southern Counties Oil Company of Lompoc managed by Kevin and Ellen O'Keeffe, and Southern Counties Oil Company of Orange County with Frank P. Greinke as President. Frank contributed a substantial amount of time to committees and charitable activities. He was Tustin Man of the Year in 1974, President of the Tustin Chamber of Commerce, President of the Tustin Lions, Director of the YMCA, Multiple Sclerosis Society, and UCI Medical Research Center. He was elected to the Saddleback College Board of Trustees, a founding director of Irvine Valley College, and a Tustin City Council member ending his term as Mayor in 1986. He served as Republican Party Central Committee member, and a Director of the Lincoln Club. He was Chairman of the Board of Southern Counties Oil Company until he retired in 1991 and became Chairman Emeritus. Subsequently at which time he sold the company to Frank P. Greinke. In July of 1994, Frank's energies were directed to the far side of the world to the former Soviet Union, Republic of Georgia. His focus was teaching the free market system. With his two sons, Frank and Donovan, he built and established gasoline service stations. He received high compliments for his efforts from the President of Georgia, Eduard Schevardnadze and several members of the U.S. Congress. In 1995 Frank and other Orange County businessmen purchased the Las Vegas arena football team and named it the Anaheim Piranhas which played at the Anaheim Pond. In February of 1996 the Freedom Foundation of Valley Forge selected Frank as their honoree in its "America and Those Who Love Her" celebration. In 1996, he was appointed to the Gore-Chernomydrin Russia Far East Working Group by Governor Pete Wilson as a representative of California. He became a member of Legatus, a national organization of Catholic CEO's. He was invested in 2001 as a Knight in the Order of Malta. In 2003, Frank was honored to become Counsul General of the Republic of Georgia to the United States with full diplomatic privileges. He continued doing what he loved best, mentoring his children, grandchildren, and his honorary godsons of Republic of Georgia and sharing his life with his loving wife and helpmate of 53 years. Frank is survived by his wife, Margaret; daughter, Melinda Griffith and husband Andrew; son, Frank Greinke and wife JoAnne; daughter, Melissa Sliffe and husband Jerry; son, Donovan Greinke and wife Pamela; daughter, Ellen O'Keeffe and husband Kevin; and grandchildren, Nicholas Sliffe, Daniel Griffith, Kristopher Sliffe, Brian Griffith, Cindy Greinke, Lee Sliffe, Steven Greinke, Jonathan Greinke, Brandon Saldana, Ryan O'Keeffe, Jennifer Greinke and Bridget Greinke; godsons, Sergi and Vaniko Nakaidze; sisters, Ruth Klein and Martha Nordin; and brother, William Greinke. Funeral Mass Saturday, April 23, at 12:00 noon, at Holy Family Cathedral, Orange. Arrangements by Saddleback Chapel, Tustin. In lieu of flowers please make donations to Mary's Kitchen in Orange.