Harris John Frank, October 19, 2020

Harris Frank was born in St Louis, Mo. on June 15, 1925 to Ruth and Herbert Frank.  In the many years that followed, he led a productive life – he was successful in his work primarily in real estate, and loved by his family (wife Judith, (now deceased) children H. John Frank, Jr. (John)and Nancy Frank Hauserman and grandchildren, Tyler, Will, Kate and Molly and his six great-grandchildren. Until just recently, he was an avid golfer and frequent traveler to various places around the U.S. visiting friends and around the world, seeing new things and meeting new people. He spent most of his younger life in St Louis, attending Country Day school, and then off to a short stint in College before he went into the Navy after completing college.

He was always interested in places and people and learning and he rarely gave up on any endeavor, though he came close when it came to learning new computer skills. 

But what really set Harris apart was his determined commitment to his community. He was past president of  Temple Shaare Emeth and of the JCCA and extended the reach of his “community” when he helped create the initial St. Louis Senior Olympics – an event which morphed into the National Senior Olympics  (1987) and in which he continued to participate as an entrant until the last few years of his life. He stayed mentally and physically active throughout his life, continuing to play golf and travel around the world.

Harris Frank was rarely found sitting still – and if he was, he was reading a nonfiction tome, continuing to teach himself new materials and skills as he aged. He would likely say, in that regard, that his biggest challenge was the computer! Until the end of his life, Harris Frank helped his community and beyond. He was a dedicated and relentless fundraiser for various non-profits and an adviser and trainer on fundraising skills  to many other organizations. He himself was a generous and giving person to a variety of causes, especially on the local level. After the passing of his wife, Judy, he created and endowed a Center at the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa to teach students how to improve their writing and communication skills. Today that Center is a model for centers later created by other universities across the country.

He is survived by his adored partner of several years, Renee Hartstein, a partner who joined him in his continued zest to appreciate all that St Louis had to offer – St Louis Opera Theatre, museums, movies and more. He is survived by his partner Renee, his children Nancy Hauserman (Dan Benton) and John (Jan) Frank, grandchildren, William John McGrory, Tyler Frank (Kate), Kate Fallett (Mark) and Molly Hubbard (Jack) and several great-grandchildren and many friends.

Harris’s funeral service is scheduled for Friday, October 23^rd at 1:30 PM via Live Stream. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for Live Stream link. People wishing to donate in Harris’ honor are directed to the Judith R. Frank Business Communications Center in the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa or Memory Care, St. Louis, MO. Gifts to the Frank Communications Center may be made at https://givetoiowa.org/frank-business.  

BERGER MEMORIAL SERVICE