Frank Markham

Markham, Francis "Frank" of Mountain Home, passed away peacefully at a Boise hospital, on Saturday, March 22, 2014, at the age of 91, which according to him was "a long time."

A memorial service will be held Tuesday, April 1, at 1 p.m. at Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel, followed by an inurnment at Mountain View Cemetery.

Frank was born Oct. 12, 1922, in Seaside, Ore., to Percy and Lucille Markham. He was the last son of five children. The family moved to Cannon Beach, Ore., and it was there that he learned to play the banjo and began playing in the family orchestra by the age of six.

He was drafted in 1942 and joined the Army. Stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., he was promoted to drill sergeant, training troops as replacements for the overseas units. The Army wouldn't send the drill sergeants overseas, so he got himself "busted" so he could join the troops.

He was shipped overseas to England and was in the Normandy Beach invasion, advancing across Europe, mostly as a scout behind enemy lines.

He was severely injured in Luxemburg during the Battle of the Bulge, was rescued by an army tank and was placed on the turret of the tank where he helped direct the tank to another location while it was firing at the enemy.

He was sent to hospitals in Paris, London, and then to Madigan General Hospital in Tacoma, Wash., where he spent the next two years.

While recovering (and causing mischief) in Tacoma, he met his wife, Jean Colvin. They were married in January of 1947 and moved to California.

In 1948, Frank and Jean moved to Mountain Home, Idaho, which was closer to Jean's family. He held various jobs, including a shop maintenance position for Morrison Knudson at Strike Dam while the dam was being built for Idaho Power.

Later, when the Air Force Base was reactivated, he was lucky enough to get a job as manager of the base exchange. That started a career on base which lasted nearly 30 years in the 366 Civil Engineering section. Frank retired in 1978.

He continued to play music, usually on the guitar, with his friend, Lloyd Fisher, who played violin. They furnished the music for the local square dance clubs in Mountain Home and Glenns Ferry. He also played with many other musicians all over Elmore and Owyhee Counties, often only getting home for breakfast since the dancers kept feeding the tip jar to keep them playing.

Frank and Jean have four children, Pat, Janet, Kenny and Gary.

The family often enjoyed camping, fishing, hunting and visiting relatives.

After the children had grown, Frank and Jean continued to camp and travel all over the country, meeting and making numerous new friends.

Frank took up rock hounding during retirement and learned the craft of polishing cabochons and spheres. That had him looking for rocks all over the country. He later mastered the art of faceting gemstones, making and repairing jewelry, and became well-known at gem and mineral shows throughout Idaho for his faceting demonstrations.

He loved sharing his knowledge of rocks and gemstones with everyone and was a long-time member of the Eureka Rock & Gem Club in Mountain Home.

He was also involved with the Mountain Home Senior Center for a number of years and was on the board that helped them obtain the new Senior Center.

Frank is probably more well-known for his membership in organizations and lodges.

He was a member of the VFW, joining in Washington in the 1940s and later transferring his membership to Mountain Home Post # 9585.

He also joined the Eagles Lodge and the Disabled American Veterans Post and had a lifetime membership to all three.

In 1952, he joined the Odd Fellows Lodge in Mountain Home and started a lifelong journey with the order. He attended his first State Grand Session in 1954, and his first International Sovereign Grand Lodge Session in 1960 as the Sovereign Grand Musician. He was also a member of Idaho Encampment #1 and Columbia #3 Patriarch Militants Canton, and has held Grand Officers positions in all of the branches of the order. He became Department Commander of the Department Council of Idaho in 1975 and began attending the General Military Council (GMC) at the International Sessions at that time. Until a few years ago, he never missed any of the yearly sessions. He was elected Executive Officer in 1981, followed by Deputy General Commanding and General Commanding of the GMC in 1983 where he was installed in Winnipeg, Canada. In 1986, he was elected Adjutant General of the GMC and served in that capacity until 2002, when he was given the honored title of Adjutant Emeritus.

During his years in the General Military Council, he traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada, helping Departments in the various States and Provinces. He visited Denmark and Iceland, and instituted a new canton in Hawaii.

In 1990, the General Military Council awarded him the Grand Decoration of Chivalry, the highest award obtainable to a member of the order. He has also received the Decoration of Chivalry, the Meritorious Service Jewel for his work in the State of Idaho, the Merit Jewel from his home lodge in Mountain Home, and the title of Odd Fellow of the Year by the Grand Lodge of Idaho.

In 1970, he gathered a group of Odd Fellows who liked camping and fishing together and started an annual Fish Fry at Three Island State Park. His "technique" for filleting fish is still unrivaled, and his wife, Jean, had the best recipe to fry the fish for the annual potluck dinner. It became one of the best gatherings of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs in the state for over 40 years. And of course, he brought along his music, either playing piano for meetings or entertaining with his guitar and banjo at gatherings.

His children were also very involved the fraternal world of Odd Fellowship, traveling alongside with Frank to his meetings and helping to provide musical entertainment with Pat playing the guitar and singing, Janet playing the accordion and later son-in-law Donnie playing the pedal steel guitar and dobro.

Frank was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters and two brothers.

He is survived by: Jean, his wife of 67 years; his four children, daughter Pat and husband Donnie Marvin of Mountain Home; daughter Janet and husband Archie Bruce of Illinois; son Kenny Markham of Winchester, Idaho; and son Gary and wife Sandy Markham of Michigan; 10 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren.

Memorial donations may be made in Frank's name to Mountain Home Lodge #19, P.O. Box 314, Mountain Home, ID 83647. All donations received will be presented to the IOOF World Eye Bank.