Howard Frank, beloved husband of Carol Frank and proud father of Bill, Gary and Sally, passed away peacefully at home on January 20, 2026.  

Born November 2, 1929, in Toledo, Ohio to Martin and Agnes Frank, Howard had a childhood filled with adventure, sports and friends.  Many of those friendships lasted his entire lifetime.

He graduated from DeVilbiss High School in 1947 where he played football and baseball. He chose to go to college at Ohio University where he played baseball for the legendary coach, Bob Wren.  A successful pitcher, Howard turned down a contract offer from the New York Yankees because he did not want the life of a player in the minor leagues as it had been described to him by other ballplayers.

Instead, Howard set his sights on a career in the U.S. Air Force.  In 1951, Howard married his high school and college sweetheart, Rosita Erausquin and shortly thereafter reported for duty at Goodfellow AFB in Texas.  Howard and Rosita welcomed son Bill in 1952, son Gary in 1954 and daughter Sally in 1959.  He left active duty in the Air Force in the latter half of the 1950s and worked in management at Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company in Rossford, Ohio. 

In late 1961, Howard made a pivotal decision to re-enter the Air Force that profoundly and positively impacted his family.   In 1962, the family moved to Sacramento, California for Howard’s first assignment at McClellan AFB.  Subsequent assignments took Howard and family to bases in France, California again, Colorado, Texas, Washington DC, and back to California for a third time.  He retired from the Air Force in 1982 and subsequently worked as Business Manager for the Director of Nursing at U.C. Davis Medical Center until his retirement in 1992.

While stationed at Chateauroux AFB in France in the 1960s, Howard made great use of his 30 days of leave each year and took his family on trips to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and all over France.  It was a great life.  

In 1997, Howard lost his beloved wife, Rosita after 46 years of marriage. He subsequently met and married Carol in 1998.  Carol was a terrific companion and wife to Howard who provided love, kindness and companionship throughout their 27 years together.  He got to know Carol’s children and treated her grandchildren as his own, taking an interest in each one. Carol was a tireless and compassionate caregiver throughout his final illness. 

Howard will be fondly remembered as a loving husband and terrific father and grandfather.  He loved sports and had a particular passion for golf.  He especially cherished all the great times he had with his golfing buddies in the Sons In Retirement (SIRS) and Golden Niners leagues in Roseville.  He also treasured his friends and neighbors from the Riverside-Pocket area of Sacramento and later on in Sun City, Roseville, especially his close friend, Steve Schmidt. 

Howard is survived by wife Carol, sons Bill (Debi) of Lincoln City, Oregon and Gary (Krista) of Waukee Iowa, daughter Sally (Jay) of Rancho Cordova, sister Sharon of Tallahassee, Florida, seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his beloved first wife, Rosita, his father, Martin, his mother, Agnes, brothers Carl and Jim, and his great-grandson, Jackson Frank.

Visitation will be at Price Funeral Chapel, 6335 Sunrise Blvd. in Citrus Heights from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM on Monday, February 2nd. A funeral service will be held immediately thereafter at the same location from 2:00 PM to 3:00 on Monday, February 2nd. Burial at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, California is scheduled for 10:00 AM the following day, Tuesday, February 3rd.  All are welcome to attend. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in Howard’s memory may be made to:  The UC Davis Health Eye Center c/o UC Davis Foundation.