Francis Alanzo Thomas was born to Elmer and Alvina (Weinkauf) Thomas on their family farm in Fountain Prairie Township, near Holland, Minnesota in 1936. He was baptized and confirmed at St. James Lutheran Church in Holland, where his mother Alvina was a life-long member and his Grandfather Gottlieb Weinkauf a charter member.

He attended country school, then graduated from Pipestone High School. After high school, he joined the ROTC and attended University of Missouri (Columbia)--putting himself through college. After graduation he was commissioned in the U.S. Navy as a 2nd Lieutenant, whereupon he transferred branches of service to the U.S. Marine Corps. After serving in Viet Nam and transitioning to the Reserves, Frank eventually retired from the USMC having attained the rank of Captain.

While in Missouri for college, he met and married the love of his life, Miss Phyllis Ann Luedde of St. Louis, Missouri. Later the family moved to Upper Marlboro, Maryland, where Frank worked as a civilian computer specialist for the Pentagon and then for the U.S. Census Bureau until his retirement.

In his retirement, Frank enjoyed tinkering on his “honey do” home projects and delighted in gardening. His particular love was for his irises (a family favorite) and his strawberries. He was an avid supporter of the National Christian Choir (NCC), of which Phyllis and son Bruce were members. They even traveled to such places as Alaska and Nova Scotia on NCC tours! Frank also was extremely supportive of his grandchildren in their various school and extracurricular activities.

Frank passed from this life in January 2018. He is survived by his three children, Bruce (Jennifer), Andrea (Jon), and Christopher (Suzanne), as well as seven grandchildren (Julia, Ryan, William Andrew, Megan, Matthew, Jonathan, Sarah), two of his sisters (Elener, Carol), and a veritable host of nieces and nephews.

Preceding Frank in death were his darling Phyllis, his parents, seven/all brothers (James, Edwin, Kenneth, David, Infant Twin, Alvin and Richard), and six of his sisters (Ellen, Faye, Mildred, Evelyn, Ardis and Sharla).

Our “Poppy Frank” will be fondly remembered and greatly missed. The family greatly appreciates all the support of our wide circle of friends at this difficult time.

Should you choose to honor Frank with a donation, you might consider an entity that supports gardening, military veterans, education, or your local church organization. He would be honored, tickled, and humbled that you thought of him.