(Note: The following are remarks I planned to make at the celebration of Frank's life on Saturday, September 21, 2013, at Rodenberg Chapel, Franke at Seaside, Mt. Pleasant, SC. Speaking, however, was limited to three members of his large extended family.)
It
is a happy feeling to be back at Franke at Seaside among so many friends,
even though the occasion is also a sad one.
We
come together to celebrate the life of our friend Frank Hay and at the same
time extend to his beloved wife Frances and all the family members our
condolences and love.
I
had been at Franke for over three years when Frank and Frances came to live
here. I was a regular participant in “The Week That Was,” a discussion group dealing with current
events, most of them political in nature. The weekly group attendance was 25 to 30
residents, male and female. The group was led in a most capable
manner by Jeff Erickson, a volunteer coordinator, who is with us today.
The
group was essentially divided into two camps. There were conservatives and
liberals. Each camp held views peculiar to their own persuasion. Some of the
attendees spoke up frequently and wanted to share their opinion, and hopefully convert
others. A number of attendees listened silently, sometimes smiling or nodding
their heads one way or the other.
Then
one day a new face was in the crowd. It was Frank Hay. Initially, Frank was
somewhat of an enigma. He didn’t seem to
have any of the prejudices that dominated the participants. He could not be
said to be in one camp or another.
After
a few weeks I began to recognize Frank as a free-thinker. He formed his own
opinions about important subjects instead of accepting what others were saying.
It
slowly dawned on me that Frank would have been right at home during the
birthing years of our great country. He would have enjoyed the company of
Washington, Jefferson and Franklin. He would have believed in the separation of
church and state and the freedom of man to make his own choices in all matters.
Like
Galileo, Frank did not feel obliged to believe that the same God who endowed us
with sense, reason and intellect had intended for us to fore-go their use.
In
1790, George Washington urged congress to promote science and literature. He
said that in every country knowledge is the surest basis of public happiness.
Frank
was like this. He came every week to The
Week That Was armed with six or seven supporting documents in a folder with
which to urge thought and discussion. His arguments were spoken with
intelligence and moderation. He did not believe that speaking loudly made
anyone’s argument any more persuasive.
I
sought out and enjoyed Frank’s company and that of Frances. They amazed many of
us on several social occasions with elegant demonstrations of ball-room
dancing. Frank’s skills on the dance floor made him the envy of more than one
man here at Franke. Especially, when wives said, “See!”
We
served together on the Active Lifestyle Residents’ Council here at Franke and
for a year Frank was our recording secretary. He carried out his duties with
determination and skill and everyone benefited from his accurate rendition of
what happened at the meetings.
Frank
came to my apartment one day and took away an idea of how to re-arrange his
living space to make it more livable. He told me about this later and I felt
good about it. Who doesn’t like a bit of praise now and then?
We
sat together and enjoyed dinner at the counter in the Bistro on many occasions
and it was a pleasure to share our thoughts.
My
wife, Joyce, and I came to visit Frank in late August and enjoyed again his
company and our discussion. He was his usual optimistic self and we left with
joy in our hearts at how well he seemed to be getting along. Alas, that was
only temporary and the Master of the Universe had other plans. I would like to
think He will enjoy Frank, the free-thinker, for all eternity as much as we
enjoyed him for the three years he was with us at Franke.
Frank
was my friend and I will miss him very much.
