Frank Stanley Garski

If you ever met Frank, chances are you left the conversation with a story, a laugh, or both. On May 30th, Frank signed off from this world in a way only he could - surrounded by family, music, and a generous spirit that refused to be anything less than unforgettable!

Born in Racine, Wisconsin to a family of thirteen brothers and sisters. He lived with a full heart and an open spirit, but that only begins to tell his story. On a chilly winter day, you would often find Frankie ice skating as he was the first one to lace up his skates and the last one to take them off. His favorite meals were a slice of pizza at Well's Brothers Pizza in Racine and the Tuesday Special at Manuel's Mexican Food Restaurant in Tempe.

He joined the Air Force at 21 and held the rank of Staff Sergeant as a Communications Specialist for 5 years. In 1976 at the age of 33, the bicentennial year, he packed up his TV and other belongings and left the cold winters of Wisconsin in his Red Ford Galaxy that he often referred to as a boat, across the country with his brother, Mike, for the hot Phoenix summer nights. He settled in at Honeywell Aerospace as a Pricing Analyst, where he retired in 2000.

One fateful evening, in August of 1980, he met the love of his life, Alan McFadden. Oh, what an eventful day that was, as they spent the next 45 years together and were wed on January 10th, 2015. Their life together was less of a straight line and more a constellation - luminous and deeply interconnected. They had many Easter egg hunts, swim parties and game nights for the kids, entertaining friends and family. Lots of love, laughter, and amusing prizes were enjoyed by all.

Frank was an avid bowler, an artist who was quite good at painting landscape scenes. He enjoyed carving and adding the details to the cobblestone pathways and walls on the Christmas village displays. He loved creating tasty recipes, cross stitching, tending to his tomato plants, and started crocheting in 2005 to keep his hands busy after he quit smoking. He even won first prize and took home a blue ribbon from the Arizona State Fair for one of his Afghan masterpieces. He enjoyed many evenings playing cards and shaking dice with family and friends while snacking on his homemade caramel corn.

In Frank's true fashion, we will be celebrating his life not with somber whispers but with music, memories, and a toast to the sky. We will share stories, shed tears, and laugh loudly and often - just like Frank would have wanted. In the words of Frank, "Toooo Much……"