Francis C. Bunk
Private First Class Company E
302nd Infantry
September 16, 2022
LIMINGTON. Frank Bunk, age 97 ¼, passed away quietly in his daughter’s home during the early morning hours, as he had wished. He was admired by all for his wit, generosity, problem-solving, practicality and community service. Family and friends looked forward annually to his entertaining holiday letters.
Frank was the fifth and youngest child born at home in Islip, Long Island, New York to Louis and Margaret (Hoehn) Bunk. Early on, Frank displayed a keen interest in sports both as a participant and by listening to games on the radio. Initially he was an avid fan of the (then) New York Giants (baseball team) which later moved to San Francisco where his grandson’s wife works as the team photographer and was able to thrill Frank by finding an actual cap of the former NY Giants. He played baseball in high school along with basketball and track. He remained lifelong friends with Nunzio Addabbo with whom he co-wrote stories, played on sports teams, and ultimately entered the military services as soon as they graduated. He met the love of his life during their years at East Islip High, Clara Jahrling, the organist at their church and daughter of the owner of the local hardware store.
Frank served in Patten’s Third Army, 94th Division during the Battle of the Bulge where he suffered frozen feet and was sent to recover in England. Ironically, his high school friend, Nunzio, showed up to visit him there as a surprise. His family back in Islip had not heard from him for several months and were stunned when he finally returned home, able to walk, and married his high school sweetheart. The young couple moved to Troy, NY for Frank’s studies at RPI (now Rensselaer) in chemical engineering. During his tenure at General Electric, Frank worked on projects including the nose cone of a rocket (patent awarded) and silly putty. He went to night school in order to earn a master’s degree in management which later was quite useful in his second careers, first with Volunteers for International Technical Assistance (VITA) in Taiwan and later as Assistant Commissioner with the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Retardation.
Clara and Frank were married for 63 years, lived in several states, and were each the first in their family to earn college and later graduate degrees. They instilled in their three children the value of hard work, a sense of humor, education and kindness. The “other side of the report card” was considered important and their combined efforts toward creative parenting included having each family member straddle the carpeted steps to save the middle, weekly allowance delivered behind closed blinds as age squared (in cents), fostering quick memorization of multiplication tables, international dinner guests, hosting students and refugees, and involvement in sports. After Clara passed away in 2010, Frank remained in his beloved condo in Powell, Ohio and maintained a lively social and church life there until moving in with his daughter, Cathie Bunk and son-in-law, Glenn (Palomaki) at the age of 92, who provided amazing caregiving and social opportunities. He also leaves behind his first daughter, Cheryl O’Heir (Jerry Lowry) in Old Orchard Beach and his son, Rev. Charlie Bunk (Barbara) of Wisconsin. Seven grandchildren include Kat O’Heir (Travis Lucia) in South Portland, Kevin O’Heir (Suzanna Mitchell) in Fairfax, California, Dave O’Heir of Waterville, Eric Palomaki (Amy) of Dublin, Ohio, Peter Palomaki (Katelyn) of Billerica, MA, Angela Gustafson (Trevor) of Canon Falls, Minnesota, Leah Thormoset (Nathan) of Calgary, Alberta, as well as 12 great grandchildren, all of whom were very precious to Frank and with whom he interacted frequently.
A celebration of his amazing life is planned for 9.24.22 at 11:00 am
Trinity Lutheran Church
612 Main Street
Westbrook, ME 04092
Frank spent his early life in a busy, happy but very frugal German-American family with sometimes scarce resources so he became an avid supporter of local food banks and his local church. In light of his dedication, please consider these options in lieu of flowers:
Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine
www.gsfb.org
207-782-3554 ext 1142
PO Box 1807, Auburn, ME 04211-1807
Tax ID 22-2986809
Trinity Lutheran Church
612 Main Street
Westbrook, Maine 04092
www.trinitywestbrook.com
[email protected]
Trinity Lutheran Church
111 Nassau Avenue
Islip, NY 11751
www.trinityislip.org
Gethsemane Lutheran Church
35 E. Stanton Ave.
Columbus, OH 43214
www.gethsemane.org
[email protected]
Online condolence messages can be submitted at the Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service website, www.mainefuneral.com
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