Frank Lyle Peske

Funeral services for Frank Lyle Peske, 86, will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, 2025 at Cathedral of Saint John Berchmans, 939 Jordan St, Shreveport, Louisiana. A visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 1815 Marshall St., Shreveport, Louisiana. Burial will be held at Forest Park Cemetery, St. Vincent. Officiating the service will be Father Raney Johnson.

Frank was born on August 23, 1938 in the rural town of West Monroe, Louisiana to Frank Peske and Daisy Tillman Peske and passed away Sunday, May 4, 2025 in Shreveport, Louisiana.

He was the oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Edward Peske and the second of six children. The family lived a simple life in a home they built themselves, alongside a small grocery store where each family member worked at some point in their lives.

Frank graduated from high school in 1957. As a member of R.O.T.C., he was awarded a scholarship to Northwestern College in Natchitoches, Louisiana. There, he met and married Marilyn Louise DeFatta from Shreveport, Louisiana, on August 13th, 1960, shortly after earning his degree in business and entering the United States Army. They had the first of three daughters, Denise, in 1961, a second, Lisa, in 1963, and their third daughter, Lorie, in 1967.

Frank’s Army career ended with an honorable discharge after he sustained an injury during training that resulted in blindness in one eye due to nerve damage from a tank gun. Despite this, he hid his disability well, and most people never knew of Frank's blindness.

After a brief stay in Bastrop, Louisiana, where he managed Turpine's Hardware Store, Frank and Marilyn settled in Shreveport. There, he began working at Western Electric and soon after, they purchased their first home, surrounded by fruit trees and rose bushes. Frank was later promoted to a supervisor position, which Marilyn discovered from afar one day when she saw him walking home from work with half of his tie missing. With all three daughters watching from their fenced-in front yard, Marilyn excitedly climbed the fence to greet him.

Frank was a kind and loving family man who shared his love of nature with his daughters. He found joy on the many lakes surrounding Shreveport, especially Cross Lake. An avid fisherman, he often provided for his family, and many others, with his delicious fried catfish. He was proud of his fishing skills and delighted in teaching them to his family and friends. Most Saturdays began with the smell of coffee brewing well before sunrise, followed by quiet early morning fishing trips, often with one of his daughters by his side.

In the late 1970s, Frank developed a passion for woodworking. He crafted countless beautiful pieces and eventually built a woodworking shop in their backyard. He made red wagons for each of his six grandchildren, along with stools, cradles, highchairs, Adirondack chairs, and both large and small pieces of furniture. Frank was extremely talented and endlessly generous.

As the years passed, Frank and Marilyn celebrated many joyful milestones, including the births of their six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, all of whom adored him. Their 50th wedding anniversary was a momentous celebration, but sadly, a few years later, Marilyn became suddenly ill and passed away on March 3, 2015. Her loss devastated Frank, and he grieved deeply for many months.

Sometimes in life, a second chance at happiness comes along, and it did for Frank. He met a lovely woman named Anna at church, and soon his heart and family expanded to include Anna’s two daughters and two granddaughters. Frank shared a warm, joyful life with Anna Peske for the remainder of his days. She was a true blessing to both Frank and his daughters.

He is preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Rilla Wilson and Myra Scott; brother, Gene Peske, and wife of 55 years, Marilyn DeFatta Peske. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Anna Peske; his sister, Barbara Woods; brother, David Peske; sister-in-law, Jo Carol Martin; his three daughters and their spouses, Denise (Peske) and Benjamin Dews, Lisa (Peske) and Michael Ellerbe, and Lorie (Peske) and Edward (Ned) Sekinger; his step-daughter, Kristen Salter Fiser, and a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Honoring Frank as pallbearers will be Michael Ellerbe, Joe Hogan, Cliff Peske, Tim Peske, Ned Sekinger and Adam Sekinger. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be son-in-law, Benjamin Dews and grandsons, Dr. Garrett Nelson and Andrew Smith.

Frank lived a rich, full life, one marked by love, family, resilience, and quiet strength. He was, without a doubt, a lucky man indeed.