They say no one's indispensable, but Centreville's Dick Frank came about as close as a person could get. So it was with deep sadness and a huge sense of loss that those who knew him best responded Monday to the news of his death.
"He didn't have an agenda, but had the best interests of the community at heart," said Mary Coyle of the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee. "He went the extra mile — and I don't know how we're going to fill his shoes."
Frank, 66, of the Gate Post Estates community died of lung cancer, Monday at 5:30 a.m., at Prince William Hospital. His sons had visited him, Sunday night, and his wife and daughter were by his side when he passed away peacefully in his sleep.
"Both he and I were prepared [for his eventual death], knowing the prognosis for this type of cancer," said his wife of 38 years, Sue. "But we did not expect this [now]. He was quite ill, but we didn't know just how ill."
A true pillar of the community, Dick Frank served on countless committees, commissions, task forces and groups and was an expert in both land-use and transportation. Said the WFCCA's Carol Hawn: "You could always depend on Dick to find out what you needed to know."
A founding member of the WFCCA Land-Use Committee in 1982, he served many years as a member and also as chairman. He was Sully District Transportation Commissioner, WFCCA president, was on the Sully District Council of Citizens Associations — and its Land-Use and Transportation Committee — and served on the Area Plans Review Task Force, the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, the Transportation Advisory Commission and the Occoquan Crossing Task Force.
"He was pretty special," said Sully District Planning Commissioner Ron Koch, who knew Frank 20 years. "Dick was a dear friend and colleague to many, and he epitomized the perfect citizen."
Born in Jamaica, Long Island, Frank was raised in New Jersey and later moved to Virginia. He and Sue met in June 1964; he was a camp director and she was a counselor for a YMCA camp in Prince William Forest Park. "I liked the way he worked with youth and his concern for people," she said.
They had two sons and a daughter, Jeffrey, 34, of Woodbridge; Jon, 33, of Manassas Park and JoEllen, 30, of Raleigh, N.C. Later, they became the doting grandparents of two boys, Cody, 9 1/2 and Corey, 7 1/2, and two girls, Shelby, 5 and Victoria, 4. (Frank is also survived by a sister, Connie Creveling, and a brother, William Frank).
"He was a strict dad — he made the kids toe the line," said his wife. "But he'd go to their sporting events, and we always took family vacations together at TopSail Beach in North Carolina [near Wilmington]."
PROFESSIONALLY, FRANK WAS A REALTOR who helped Virginia Run's Pat Lawless open the Centreville branch of Long & Foster, Realtors in 1986. Before then, he'd had a Century 21 office in Falls Church and also sold new homes for Battlefield Builders.
He and Sue moved to Gate Post Estates, almost 20 years ago, and were among its original homeowners. Said Sue: "He sold the first section, himself." Added Lawless: "He was widely respected in the industry and won several awards."
His 1996 Community Service Award from the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors reads, in part, "Through volunteer efforts and major projects, you have improved the quality of life for others and reflected positively on the Realtor community."
Frank's clients marveled at his knack for knowing exactly what type of house they wanted — and then finding it for them. Said Hawn, of Centreville's Old Mill community: "He was our Realtor, too, and found us the perfect house."
Dubbing him the office "think-tank advisor," Lawless said she, Frank and the other Realtors would bat ideas back and forth and "he always provided the ingredient of reasonableness. He could look at something and figure out [how to handle it]." But even more, she said, "We were good friends and compatriots."
Realtor Trudy Harsh worked with him 12 years and said everyone in the office looked up to him and asked him for advice. But it was his untiring efforts on behalf of his fellow citizens that set him apart. "He was such a wonderful family man and community leader," said Harsh. "He had a great impact and he's going to leave a wonderful legacy."
Hawn, who served on both WFCCA and Sully District Council with Frank, said no one else in the Sully District has his "wealth of knowledge" — or his network of contacts — on transportation issues. Acknowledging his many civic contributions, she said, "We're all poorer for the fact that he's gone because he was such an instrumental part of Sully District and the Centreville area."
While noting that, "You knew where he stood on things," Hawn said, "One of the best things about Dick was that he would listen." Coyle said he respected other people's opinions, and Koch said he "brought a cool head and a professional, positive attitude to the table."
Transportation and land-use issues are often controversial but, said the WFCCA's Jim Hart, "Dick never got personal with disagreements. He always tried to get a consensus. He was not a shrinking violet, but he was also a believer in keeping land-use and transportation as nonpartisan as possible — knowing that we've always got to work with politicians in both parties."
CALLING HIM A "VOICE OF REASON," Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully) said, "Dick was up-front, and he believed that, if you did what was right, then people would understand. And most of the time, he was right." And through it all, said former head of the countywide Trails Committee, Deb Leser, Frank was always so darned cheerful: "You could disagree with each other about issues but, at the end, you'd still be smiling."
Noting that he both lived and worked in the town he served so long and so well, she praised him for doing such a good job of "looking out for all our interests — he was just so integral to the community."
Actually, saying Frank will be missed is a huge understatement. "He really will be irreplaceable in terms of his experience in land-use and transportation, his institutional knowledge and his networking with so many groups," said Hart. "He certainly had a sense of civic responsibility and — even when he was seriously ill — he still came to meetings and didn't complain."
Hart stressed Frank's involvement in improving Route 28 and his fight to keep Walney and Braddock roads open when Route 28 near them is someday widened. And although Frank was a Realtor, said Hart, he wasn't shy about criticizing development and urging WFCCA to have even higher standards in approving proposed projects. Said Hart: "His passing leaves a big void for us."
Del. Gary Reese (R-67th) has known Frank 12 years and said he "knew Centreville better than anyone I've ever known and worked harder than any five men on behalf of it." And both Frey and Koch called his death a "tremendous loss to the community and everybody who knew and cared about him."
Coyle worked with Frank on WFCCA since 1985 and described him as "the salt of the earth." And Andy Lawless — who, along with Frank and Koch, served on the first WFCCA Land-Use Committee — called his longtime friend a "tough guy and a fighter. He loved Centreville and worked his butt off for it. He was willing to stand up and be counted."
Bill Keech, who developed the Westfields Corporate Center, was "extremely saddened" by Frank's death. "We worked together for almost 20 years on various issues involving western Fairfax County and Westfields — including the first Comprehensive Plan for the Sully District," said Keech. "His dedication and involvement in all aspects of western Fairfax will be missed by all."
YET, FRANK WAS ALSO HUMAN and had smoked for more than 40 years. He tried quitting, but the pull was too powerful and he didn't succeed until seven months before he had a heart attack in 1998. His cancer was diagnosed last May, but doctors didn't know if the tumor in his lung had been there six months or five years.
Chemotherapy helped, from July-December. Then came brain radiation for a tumor, in January, and a new kind of chemo in February. These last treatments, said his wife, were "too much for him." He was hospitalized eight days in February and again beginning March 3.
While Frank's death wasn't a total surprise, said Frey, "Still, it's a shock." Added Koch: "He was so confident that he'd beat it, and I thought he would. He was a fantastic human being, and my heart goes out to Sue. They were a perfect couple, and it showed."
A former computer and word-processing teacher at Rocky Run Middle and the Chantilly Center (for emotionally disturbed students) within Chantilly High, Sue Frank said she appreciates the support of family and friends. A memorial service, with the Rev. Bert Sikkelee officiating, is this Thursday, March 13, at 1 p.m., at Centreville United Methodist Church.
Frank's ashes will be scattered at his favorite spot, TopSail Beach. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 124 Park St., Vienna, VA 22180. Most of all, said Koch, "He was a darn good guy. They say he's in a better place — but it still hurts."