October 11, 1927 – September 2, 2019
Frank was born in Okotoks, Alberta and had the gift of two amazing parents, Ed and Marjorie Hayes. His brother, Ralph (now deceased), joined the family two years later. Frank spent a wonderful childhood in a what was then a small Alberta town. He played hockey, baseball and other sports and, like most children of that time, spent hours in the outdoors. Just before his 18th birthday, he travelled by train across Canada to the East Coast where he joined the Merchant Navy. It was a daring adventure for a young prairie boy. He travelled from Canada to the Middle East and then on to India with the Merchant Navy. In India, he contracted malaria which plagued him for the rest of his life. At one point, he was so ill and emaciated that his officer nicknamed him,
“Physical Fitness” and the name stuck for the rest of his tour. Upon returning to Canada and thence to Okotoks, Frank reunited with his family and also with his then girlfriend, Doris Patterson, who was to become his bride of almost 70 years. Frank and Doris moved first to Edmonton and then to Calgary raising three children: Frank Jr. (Pam), Patricia (Frank Hall) and Sherry who have all survived him along with their grandchildren Sandra, Jeremy, Micah (deceased), Jennifer, Dana, Ainsley, Simon and Jane and their many great-grandchildren. Frank joined the Oil Patch upon his return from his tour overseas and worked for Imperial Oil and then Eastman Directional Drilling until he started his own well remediation company. During his time in the Oil Patch, Frank drove well over a million miles visiting well sites and remote offices. Frank and Doris moved from Calgary to Millarville and then back to Okotoks in 1985. Frank will be remembered for his, often inappropriate, sense of humour and love for his wife,
Doris and their family.
Following cremation there will be a private ceremony for the family and on
September 28, 2019, from 2 to 4 pm, there will be a get-together for family and friends at South Calgary Funeral Home,
12700 MacLeod Trail South.
