Frank Hosford, Jr.

Frank Hosford, Jr. was born July 29, 1948 in Fort Dodge, Iowa and departed this life at his home in Wichita, KS July 20, 2023. Visitation will be from 6:00 - 8:00 pm, Wednesday, July 26, 2023; Funeral Service will be at 10:00 am, Thursday, July 27, 2023, both at Downing & Lahey West Mortuary. Frank is preceded in death by his parents, Frank Hosford, Sr. and Doris Maxine (Musfelt) Hosford; granddaughter, Kylie Sue Hosford; father-in-law, Leon L. Lamb; sister-in-law, Lori Gallegos; and, niece, Carissa Lamb. He is survived by the love of his life, wife of 57 years, Delanna (Lamb) Hosford; sons, Jeremy “Jamy” Hosford (Karen), Chad Hosford (Jennifer); foster son, Wayne Walker; 9 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren, all of Wichita; sister, Linda Crabtree (Mike) of Parsons KS; brother, Curtis Hosford of Wichita; mother-in-law, Emma Lamb; and numerous nieces, nephews and friends. Frank has been a devoted husband, father, and “Poppy” - with his family always being at the center of his life. He graduated from Southeast High School and retired from Boeing. He is a Christian who was a member of the Church of Christ. *** Frank’s father was born on April 25, 1917 and passed away January 27, 1963. His mother was born March 25, 1923 and died July 24, 2004. Frank Sr. and Doris married in 1945. Frank is the middle child of three children. His family eventually settled in Wichita, KS where Frank attended Southeast High School, graduating in 1966. Frank and Delanna married October 22, 1966. After graduating high school, Frank worked several different places in Wichita, including Boeing. He enlisted in the Air National Guard in 1967. Shortly after enlisting, he was called to active duty and spent 13 months in Kunsan, South Korea. Frank was honorably discharged from the military in 1969-1970 and was always proud of his service to his country. Jeremy (Jamy) was born in 1968 while Frank was active duty, and Chad was born in 1973 after Frank had been discharged and was working in Wichita. Upon his discharge from the military, Frank worked at various places and attended a trade school where he received a journeyman’s license in Air-Conditioning and Heating. He began working for Boeing again around 1975 and became certified in welding. While at Boeing he operated his own air-conditioning business on the side for a couple of years. His combined employment at Boeing totaled 30 years before his retirement in 2005. All of his life Frank has loved music of all genres. He began playing the guitar at the age of 15 and continued to improve his guitar skills throughout his life. As a teenager he was a member of a band, and he continued to play music throughout his life in his home with Delanna, family members and friends. Frank also loved the outdoors and made countless memories at Fall River with Delanna, Jamy, and Chad when the boys were young. He took up sailing and had a small sail boat. After retirement, he loved to go deer hunting, with bow and arrow, with his sons and grandkids. Frank was a very creative person who loved learning about new things and sharing what he learned with others, especially his family. He was an “out-of-the-box” thinker, always coming up with a little different way to do things, especially if the project was too time-consuming or costly to do the conventional way. He was an all-around, jack-of-all-trades, handy with tools, and had an ability to fix and repair and remodel just about anything in the house or yard. He started fixing his own cars around the age of 20 and continued throughout his life. One of his pride and joy projects was his restoration of a 1957 Chevy. He was involved in several business ventures throughout the years, including a leadership training franchise in which he taught time management and personal development courses. He was always willing to take a leap of faith to try something new. He was never without a desire for learning and increasing his knowledge on just about any subject. He enjoyed studying about nutrition, food, and the benefits of a healthy diet. Frank became known as “the salsa man” when he began to grow his own vegetables and make fresh salsa for family, friends and neighbors. Everyone loved his salsa, and he was proud to boast when his salsa won first prize at a 4H contest one year. Through his interest in gardening, he began to compost and grow worms. This hobby lead to an appearance on local TV stations where he spoke about the importance of worms and how they benefit the earth. He also was invited numerous times to teach children all about worms at a local elementary school. He raised rabbits and chickens at various times. He loved the fresh eggs, learning about chicken behavior, and teaching the grandkids about chickens. For 12 years Frank faithfully played Santa for a local preschool. He became a holiday tradition by playing Santa at his home for all the grandkids, nieces, and nephews - he got such a kick out of everyone getting a picture with Santa, especially the older kids and adults. Frank could certainly be described as a laid back man who got along with just about everyone he met. He always had a smile and while things in the world may have frustrated him, it would be hard to say he ever showed a foul mood. Above all, he loves his family - his wife, his sons and all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is so proud of his sons and the men they have become, and all their accomplishments. In his retirement, he was so happy to be able to spend time with all the children swimming, playing pool, listening to music, playing instruments, hunting, sailing, fishing, and building things. He was equally proud of each and every grandchild and great-grandchild. He enjoyed so much seeing each of them grow and accomplish new things with each year. Frank always cherished his time spent with Jamy and Chad talking about hunting, fishing, cars, or anything to do with business topics. He was so proud of how well rounded, grounded and hard working they are, and how family focused they are - always taking care of their family’s needs. He took pride in the training he and Delanna gave them and the example they set for them throughout their growing up years in personal life, relationships, problem solving, becoming, and developing a good character, and work ethics. There is no doubt that Frank and Delanna shared a rare love that has stood the test of time - completely devoted to each other through all of life’s ups and downs. There simply are not words to describe the level of commitment and true love they have for one another - “soul mates” sounds like a cliché, but it is the only description that comes close. Frank was a kind, gentle man; understanding and supportive; trustworthy and loyal; tender and tough at just the right times. The one thing in life he always made sure of was that he took care of Delanna and that she knew how much he loved her. The one thing in life he never, ever wanted was to have to leave her. Funeral Service will be Live Streamed and available to view by clicking "Watch Event" below.

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