Frank Gloria Rodriguez, 86, of Flint, Texas, passed away peacefully on Friday afternoon, May 24th, with his wife of 68 years, Frances, holding his hand. Frank was born in, and lived most of his life in Beaumont, Texas, on November 23rd, 1937, to Guadalupe and Petra Gloria Garcia Rodriguez. He was the last of seven children born to his mother, Petra, who herself passed away while Frank was still a child. In addition to his parents, Frank was preceded in death by all his brothers, Johnny, Joe, David, Pete, and Bradley, and his sister, Eva. Frank grew up attending Catholic schools in Beaumont and graduated from Saint Anthony’s High School on May 24th, 1956. He married his high school sweetheart, Frances Garcia, soon thereafter on December 30th, 1956. By then he had already enlisted in the United States Air Force. After boot camp, Frank was trained at Warren Air Force Base as a Communications Center Specialist and assigned to Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, Texas. He spent over one year abroad, continuing his assigned communications orders, much of it classified as top secret.
Frank and Frances settled in Beaumont after he was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1960. He soon gained employment with the United States Postal Service, to which he spent the rest of his career. In his off time, he enjoyed playing and coaching fast-pitch softball and was an avid Houston Astros fan. In his later years, Frank coached and mentored many aspiring girls’ softball players. He also enjoyed cooking and smoking food outdoors for the many family gatherings he and Frances hosted in their home on Annie Lou in Beaumont. After Hurricane Harvey flooded their house in 2017, Frank and Frances moved to Flint, Texas, to be closer to their daughter, Martha Rivers, and her husband, Chuck Osborn, who now reside in Bullard, Texas. Later, following retirement, his other daughter Rachel and her husband, Geoff Carlton also moved from La Porte, Texas, to the Tyler area to join them.
In addition to Frank’s two daughters and their husbands, he leaves Frances’s brothers and sisters, and his many nieces and nephews. Frank also leaves five grandchildren and their spouses, Wesley Rivers and Abby Ofstedahl, of Portland, Oregon; Matthew Rivers of Fort Worth, Texas; Kirsten Hilson and Conrad Schafman of Houston, Texas; Katrina and Tyler Miller, of Tyler, Texas; and Kelsey Hilson and fiancé Josh Murphy, of La Porte, Texas.
“PawPaw,” as he was affectionately called, greatly treasured his five great-grandchildren, whom he also left, Lyla Villatoro, Seraphina Rivers, Eden Rose Miller, Andreas Frank Rivers, and Claire Murphy.
Services for Frank will be held at Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Flint on June 4th, 2024, at 11:00am. The Rosary will be said for him prior to the service, beginning at 10:30am. Viewing will begin in the church prior to the service – to begin at 10:00am. Funeral arrangements will be under the direction of Boren-Conner Funeral Home. He will be interred in Beaumont, Texas, at Magnolia Cemetery, on June 10th, 2024, to begin at 11:00am. As he was a Veteran of The United States Air Force, he will receive full military rites as requested by the family. In lieu of flowers, the family also requests donations be sent in Frank’s name to Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Church at catholicflint.org.
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