R. Franklin Kern III

1954 - 2020

R. Franklin Kern III

R. Franklin Kern III of Big Sky, MT and Palm Beach, FL died suddenly on March 2, 2020 in Miami, FL while recovering from surgery. He was 66.

Born January 23, 1954 to Ruth Caroline (nee Selmser) and Raymond Franklin Kern, Jr. in York, PA, Frank is survived by his loving wife of 31 years, Kristin Shutes Kern, and daughter, Kelly Huntley Kern, a graduate student at Georgetown University. Kristin and Frank met in Denver in 1986 and were married in Vail, CO in 1989. He leaves behind his sister, Cynthia Kern (husband Les Malcovitch) of Elmira, NY; niece and nephew Jenny Malcovitch (Dr. Michael Kuzniewicz) of San Francisco; John Malcovitch (Liz Ott) of Reno, NV; brother-in-law Kelly Shutes (Gretchen Shutes) of Twin Falls, ID; and many devoted friends around the world. He was predeceased by his parents.

Frank's ambition and unrelenting intellectual energy was the catalyst for a remarkable career that began at IBM in 1977 in Syracuse, NY. His fast-track within the company led him to relocate with his family to Los Angeles; Sydney, Australia; Paris, France; Tokyo, Japan; and Shanghai, China. Frank was a well-known champion of diversity in the workplace throughout his career. He was a Senior Vice President of Global Business Services when he departed in 2012 to become CEO of KKR-funded Aricent, an innovation technology company based in Silicon Valley. The company was acquired in 2018 by French based company Altran, transforming it into the global leader in engineering and R&D.

After the Aricent sale, Frank's interest and energies turned to Big Sky, MT, the place that he and his family have always considered to be their home. The long-term economic welfare and quality of life in Big Sky was a priority of Frank's, in part because his wife is the niece of its founder, the famed NBC News anchor, Chet Huntley, but mostly because he cherished the natural beauty of the pristine Montana mountain town. He and Kristin purchased Hungry Moose Market and Deli in 2019 and immediately launched a major expansion that was completed last December.

Frank graduated from Bucknell University with a B.A. in Political Science in 1975, serving as president of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. He earned his MBA in Finance at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University in 1976. His childhood summers, like those of his father's, were spent at Camp Lenape Blue Sky in the Pocono Mountains.

Frank was a powerful, passionate and compassionate man, fully devoted to his family, work, and a brilliantly curated collection of loyal friends. Fearless both intellectually and physically, his recreational hours were filled with skiing, riding his Harley Davidson, racecar driving, sailing, and staying fully informed about the world around him.

The family extends its heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Dr. Horacio Asbun, Frank's world-renowned surgeon and friend.

A memorial service for Frank Kern is currently scheduled for May 30th in Big Sky, MT at The Wilson Hotel. In lieu of flowers, please say a prayer for his extraordinary soul and remember his unwavering optimism.