CAIRNS, Jr., Frank Gilmore Frank Gilmore Cairns, Jr. of Smyrna, GA passed away peacefully on October 23, 2019 at Alto Memory Care in Buckhead/Sandy Springs after a brief hospital stay. Frank - or Gilmore as he was called growing up - was born in St. Louis, MO on January 10, 1932 to the late Frank Gilmore Cairns, Sr. and Georgia Louise Pierson Cairns. His family lived for a short time in Panama City, FL, but Birmingham, AL was his hometown. After graduating from Phillips High School in Birmingham, he served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, before heading to University of Alabama where he joined Kappa Sigma fraternity and found one of the great loves of his life - Alabama football. After graduating with a degree in Engineering, he moved to Atlanta, where he met his wife Nelda Reed of Whittier, NC at Grace United Methodist Church. They married on June 3, 1961 and recently celebrated 58 years of marriage. At the age of 30, Frank decided to change his profession from engineer to stockbroker, working at some of Atlanta's top brokerage houses - Courts & Co., Reynolds Securities, Inc., Kidder Peabody, Drexel Burnham & Co., and retiring from Wachovia. He loved the stock market, and it was serendipitous that market hours allowed him to spend time with another great love - tennis. He won a slew of trophies and titles, was ranked in the state, and continued to play until his early 80's. Frank excelled at all sports, playing in a touch football league with ex-Falcon players well into his 40's. He even once deigned to play a round of golf (something he vehemently argued was a non-sport) and shot a 90 with a set of spare clubs. Frank will be forever remembered by his wife Nelda; daughter Beth; brother Robert (Linda); in-laws Max (Clara) and Nayda (George); nieces Cindy (Joe) and Susan (Allen); nephews Edmond, Jerry, David, Chris, and Charles, Jr.; and extended family and dear friends. Frank is predeceased by his brother Charles Wallace, Sr. A celebration of his life will be held on Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 2:00pm at Grace United Methodist Church, 458 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308. Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to the Carl E. Sanders YMCA (to support tennis camps for underserved youth) at https://ymcaofmetroatlanta.givingfuel.com/support-your-local-ymca-buckhead or to Grace United Methodist Church at http://graceonponce.org/donate..

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Published by Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Nov. 7, 2019.

Memories and Condolences
for Frank Cairns

4 Entries

Jon Wiseman

December 28, 2020

I was Frank's teammate on the "Banana Splits, the touch football team that Frank and I played on from the late 60 til the mid-to-late 70s, winning several city championships. Out starting backfield did indeed play for the Falcons--Jerry Richardson, Buddy Hudlow and Mike Freeman. In addition, several other teammates were ex-pros. Frank's accuracy at QB led us from victory to victory. I can't think of more than a couple of losses we had over those years. Frank was always the mature, no-nonsense member of the team. But he was always a team player and always had kind things to say to everyone. I hadn't seen Frank since 1979 when I moved to L.A., but the memory of our days on the Splits team will always be fresh in my memories. We had fun. And we were young--once.

Tom (Tommy) Grace

November 12, 2019

I have had many friends growing up, in college and as I went through my career but I count Frank as one of my closest. We were Kappa Sigma pledges (later members) together at Alabama. He was in my wedding and came to my fiftieth wedding anniversary here in Texas. We maintained contact over the years including my investing in the market. Frank was the most pragmatic person I ever knew.

Ann Michaels

November 7, 2019

Frank was a true friend and a passionate Bama fan. I won a lighted sign at a sports bar and passed it along to Frank for his Alabama Room. Our breakfast group that meets on the weekends at the Waffle House will really miss his company! I called Frank our miracle man because he survived an illness years ago and was able to play tennis again.

Mary Hershey

November 7, 2019

I knew Frank as the father of my wonderful friend Beth, and I'm eternally grateful to him for raising her to be strong, sharp and hilarious like him. His twinkling smile will never be forgotten, but I know his passing leaves a gap that no one else can fill. Much love to Nelda and Beth, and to all of his family, near and far.

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