Frank Kunnecke

Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Frank Kunnecke

Franklin "Frank" O. Kunnecke, 86, of Mountain Home, passed away on Monday, Aug. 30, 2010, at a Boise hospital.

A graveside inurnment will be held at 11 a.m., on Friday, Sept. 3, at Mountain View Cemetery in Mountain Home. Cremation was under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel in Mountain Home.

Franklin O. Kunnecke was born Jan. 22, 1924, in Portland, Ore., the only child of Franklin W. Kunnecke and Helen (Barrow) Kunnecke. Except for a few years as a child, Frank lived all his life in Mountain Home.

People always asked Frank if he had lived his whole life in Mountain Home, and he would always answer, "Not yet." Now he can say, "Yes."

Frank served in the Army during World War II. He was in the Battle of the Bulge and served with the French Underground. He was recalled during the Korean Conflict and stationed in San Francisco.

He married Betty Bigler in 1950. Together they had two children, Melody and Brian.

Frank's working career was quite varied. He was a logger, an iron worker on the construction of Anderson Dam, a crane operator on the building of the Pine Bridge, and a supervisor on the construction of the missile silos near

Grand View. He worked several jobs for contractors at Mountain Home AFB, and he ended his working career as Chief of Construction Management at Mountain Home AFB.

Frank was a lifetime Mason and member of Elmore Lodge #30 A.F. & A.M. and a member of the El Korah Shrine Temple. He was a member of the Mountain Home Tin Lizzie Patrol and spent countless hours traveling with his wife to parades and other events.

He was a member of the Mountain Home Elks Club, and a lifetime member of Elmore American Legion Post #26.

Frank is survived by his daughter, Melody Lefler, and her husband, Harold, his son, Brian Kunnecke, and his granddaughters, Mariah Lefler and Jessica (Lefler) Winings.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty, and his parents.

In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Fairfax Road at Virginia Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84103.