Rudolph "Rudy" Fronk

Rudy passed away peacefully in Fargo ND on Saturday, August 31, 2019 after a short battle with cancer.  He was a warm, generous, practical man with a ready smile and a great sense of humor to the end.  Everyone who knew him was his friend.

Rudolph Andrew Fronk was born in Harvey ND to Frank and Katherine (Schneider) Fronk, the ninth of fourteen children.  After graduating from Harvey High School in 1951, he joined the Army where he served as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist during the Korean war and rose to the rank of Master Sargent.  In November 2017, he was proud to join fellow veterans on the Honor Flight of North Dakota and Minnesota to visit Washington DC and the memorials on the National Mall.  In February 2019, he was awarded the Ambassador for Peace Medal from the Korean government for his service there.

He married Evelyn Rose Degenstein in 1955 and they had four children.  Rudy was active in the Harvey community until he moved to Fargo in 1992, including membership in the Knights of Columbus, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Fraternal Order of Eagles.  In 1992, he married Ruby Goshinska.  While his children were growing up, the family spent much of each summer enjoying their cabin on Strawberry Lake.  Rudy also enjoyed playing pool and golf, hunting and fishing, tinkering with projects in the garage and traveling on various group bus trips.

Rudy was very proud that he was the first man hired by the construction company that built the Catholic Church in Harvey and worked there building the church until he was drafted.  After the Army, Rudy worked as a surveyor before taking a job with the Soo Line Railroad where he worked as a brakeman until 1984.  Other positions he held included, caretaker of the Harvey Golf Course, owner of Rudy’s Home Insulating, manager of the Harvey VFW Club, owner of the State Theatre and Drive-In in Harvey and staff supervisor at the Fargo Dome.

He is survived by his wife, Ruby; his children, Guy (Candace) Fronk of Bend OR, Peggy (Craig) Biss of Bend OR, Kent Fronk (Deborah Erickson) of Jamestown ND and Scott Fronk (Jill Wenzel) of Harvey ND; seven grandchildren, Courtney, Mitchell, Lucas, Dustin, Jordan, Max and Benét; five great grandchildren, Payten, Parker, Rose, Paisley and Lily; sisters Evelyn (Howard) Theige of Moorhead, MN and Rose Bevacco of Mesa AZ; and his brother Thomas (Luanna) Fronk of Alexandria, MN, sister-in-law Mary Fronk of Medford, WI and many nieces and nephews and other relatives.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Evelyn, brothers Frank “Smokey” Fronk, Leo Fronk and Robert Fronk and his sisters, Lena (Orval) Roble, Helen (George) Matros, Marian Otterson, Lillian (William) Dooner, Frances (Bud) Kullas, Annie (Dale) Schmidt, and Barbara Fronk.

Visitation: Wednesday, September 4, 2019 from 4-6 PM at West Funeral Home in West Fargo, ND. 

Prayer Service: Wednesday, September 4, 2019 at 6 PM at West Funeral Home in West Fargo, ND.

Funeral service: Thursday, September 5, 2019 at 10:30 AM at St. Cecilia Catholic Church of Harvey. (Hertz Funeral Home).

Burial: Thursday, September 5, 2019 in the St. Cecilia Catholic Cemetery of Harvey following the service. (Hertz Funeral Home).

West Funeral Home & Life Tribute Center

westfuneralhome.com

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