Frank Nevarez Acosta was born Oct 5th, 1929 to Francisco Nevarez Cota and Raquel Nevarez in San Bernardino, California.
At the age of two, Frank went to live with his grandparents, Gertrudis Perea and Benigna Nevarez Arvizo. His grandparents raised him in Mexico where he learned to work at a young age and where he gained a love for sports such as basketball and baseball.
When he was a teenager, his mom went to Mexico to pick him. They boarded a train and went back to San Bernardino. His father had already passed away, but he was able to meet his six siblings; Delores, Flavio, Maria, Ramon, Roberto and Jesus.
From 1951 – 1954, he worked for Norton Airforce Base. During this time, he was dating Josephine Dominguez Cordero who lived next door to him. Frank was drafted into the army in 1954 at the age of 24. Josephine told Frank that she would wait for him while he was gone.
Frank was deployed to Germany. While in the Army, he enjoyed being a driver for the colonel because it gave him special privileges. He also fulfilled his desire to be an Army cook and he enjoyed it. In the army, he received two medals; National Defense Service Medal and Army Occupation Medal. After being honorably discharged from the Army in 1956, he went back to work at Norton Airforce Base.
He rekindled his relationship with Josephine and married in the Roman Catholic church on April 26th, 1958 within the same city. They gave birth to three sons; Frank, Ruben and Jon. Frank was heartbroken when his sweetheart, Josephine, became ill and passed away from MS on April 27th, 1977.
During his wife's illness and death, the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints were of great help and support to Frank. He decided to join the LDS church on July 31th, 1977, and has often expressed his testimony of his savior, Jesus Christ.
After grieving the loss of his wife, Frank found new hope, joy and love in his life. While attending a New Year's Eve party, he met Carmen Vigo. They fell in love and decided to get married on November 15th, 1980, in the Salt Lake City Temple. They have remained happily married for the past 37 years. Frank and Carmen moved to Provo, Utah, for a year and then moved back to San Bernardino. They moved to Mesa Arizona in 1987 and to Tempe Arizona in 2015.
Frank loved to play baseball, snow ski, and go deep sea fishing in his younger years. He loved to watch all sports on TV. He loved to cook, garden, reupholster furniture, and create different items with stain glass. Frank was known for his humor and sweet personality by all who met him. He was well loved by all friends and family. He is survived by his wife Carmen, his brother Roberto, and his sons, Frank, Ruben and Jon and 13 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
Frank returned to His Heavenly home on March 29th, 2017.
A public viewing will be held between 9:30 - 10:15 AM. Funeral services will be at 10:30 AM, Friday, April 7, 2017 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-Saints Alma Stake, 2300 W. Javelina Ave in Mesa, AZ. 85202
Arrangements entrusted to Tempe Mortuary.
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