Frank L Felcman

Frank Leslie Felcman passed away on May 10, 2024, two days after his 100th birthday. He was born May 8, 1924, to Elsie Ferrell Fuller Felcman and Frank Joe Felcman in Sealy, Texas where his father settled after emigrating from Prague, Czechoslovakia in the early 1900's.
After his father's death when Frank was 12, he worked with his mother and three sisters in the family bakery and confectionery. On graduation from Sealy High School Class of 1941, he attended Southwest Texas State Teacher's College in San Marcos for a year. He then worked with his sister, Leah, in Tulsa OK as a file clerk and mimeograph operator in the post office before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in December 1942.
He was called to active duty in June 1943 as an Aviation Cadet. He was based at the University of Texas facilities in Austin where he began ground school, flight training, and physical conditioning. Following earning his Naval Aviator wings (24 Oct 1944), he flew patrol missions over the Atlantic coast for the remainder of World War II. He was commissioned an Ensign, serving a total of 3 years. He also served 9.5 years in the Naval Reserves where he achieved the rank of Lieutenant.
After release from the Navy in December 1945, he attended the University of Texas at Austin graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in geology in 1949 and began working for a geophysical exploration company. In 1950, he married Shirley Newman, his college sweetheart, and continued his oil exploration work which took him to many small towns in Texas, the swamplands of Louisiana, and as far north as the Badlands in North Dakota.
In 1963, he was transferred to Perth, Western Australia for a period of two years to work for West Australian Petroleum Pty. Ltd. (WAPET), a division of Standard Oil of California. He was transferred from Perth back to Texas and resided in Houston until his death. On the return trip to the U.S. in 1965, he and his family toured parts of the Far East, Middle East, Europe, and England over 45 days.
Following an urge to work for himself, Frank researched franchises in various industries and chose to move into the printing industry in 1971 when he purchased Kwik Kopy Printing #47. In 1981, he purchased a second location in Austin. He sold both businesses to his daughters in the mid-1980s, then worked for a variety of other printers until his retirement.
He was a member of Temple Lodge #4 AF & AM and was installed as Worshipful Master on July 13, 1974. In retirement, he became very interested in genealogy tracing several families through several generations.
He was predeceased by his parents and his sisters Leah Mayeaux, Helen Tomlinson (Lloyd), and Doris Nastoupil (Carl Jr.).
He is survived by his wife, Geneva Felcman; 3 children, Kathleen Barkley, Frank L. Felcman Jr. (Katherine), and Leah Linney; grandchildren, Charlotte Felcman Whitaker (Robert) and Kimberly Felcman Hatcher (Adam), and great-grandchildren Emma Whitaker and J.J. Whitaker.