Frank Wilson Branch

Frank Wilson Branch, age 89, of Lake Havasu, Ariz., passed away Tuesday, November 29, 2011. He was born on March 14, 1922, in Wainwright, Mo., to Robert Clinton and Neely Odell Branch. In 1942 at the age of 20, Frank enlisted in the U.S Navy and served as a boatswains mate in the Caribbean and Pacific Theatre. He was honorably discharged in 1943 and returned home and attended the Rankin Trade School in St. Louis, Mo., graduating after two years. He then started his own refrigeration business in Jefferson City. He was a member of the Methodist Church of Wainwright and later a member of the First Baptist Church in Jefferson City. In 1969, Frank moved to Lake Havasu City and was proud to have witnessed the construction of the London Bridge and actually had a part in building it. Frank taught heating and air conditioning while teaching classes at Mohave Community College. He was a charter member of Calvary Baptist Church in 1973 and most recently a member of Lake Havasu Baptist Church. He was also a lifetime member of the VFW and a member of Post 9401. Frank is survived by his loving wife of 19 years, Helen Maxine Branch; two step-children, Kenneth G. Craig and his wife Margaret, Cathy Nell Kimmel and her husband Ray; two grandchildren, Lori Chapman and her husband Ken, and Mark Branch and his wife Kristi; three great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; one daughter-in-law, Marty Branch; and one brother, Junior Branch and his wife Vi. He was preceded in death by one son, John Cleveland Branch; two sisters, Lottie Marie Rackers and Fannie Mae Brocious; one half-sister, Dorothy Cain Anderson; three brothers, Jack L. Branch, Norman W. Branch, and Robert Wesley Branch. Services were held Friday, December 2 at Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home with Pastor Mike Moorhead of Lake Havasu Baptist Church offering words of comfort and reassurance. Burial was in the Memorial Gardens with military honors rendered by VFW Post 9401 and American Legion Post 81. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations in Frank's memory go to Hospice of Havasu, P.O. Box 597, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86405.