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People we remember
Biographies are where we share about family & friends to connect with others who remember them.
Pam Marks:
Frank was an entrepreneur and businessman. He had a good start early on in his career working for General Mills.
Note from Kathy Pinna - When my father graduated from San Jose State, he was sent a few telegrams offering him a job. I don't have the telegrams but I've seen them.
In any case, I was told that he was weighing an offer from San Jose State to be a professor (in the philosophy dept?) and also from General Mills. He went to work for General Mills in their corporate office in San Francisco, as a buyer for the west coast.
Per an article in the San Francisco Examiner, Saturday, December 22, 1956:
"Here are the results of the course, which holds its last session next week:
One man, Frank E. Kroetch, an ingredient buyer for General Mills, has his reading speed up to 988 words per minute. That means he would be able to read better than two columns of this length in less than a minute.
The average reading speed of the men when they started this course was about 250 words a minute. They have boosted the average to 360 words per minute now.
Robert Conlin, the man who suggested the course and got $25 for the idea, started the sessions and then dropped out. Reason: He got promoted to general flour salesman midway through the course and had to concentrate on his new duties."
My mother, sister, and I used to take him to the train in Sunnyvale every day - we lived in Cupertino at the time and it was the fastest and easiest way for him to commute. As I recall, he worked there for a few years and I was told that he was the fastest rising executive at the time. He rose to the grain manager for the West Coast in that short time and he was told that no one had ever been promoted so quickly. They said that he would be president of General Mills within 20 years.
Well, Dad thought that 20 years was too far away so he quit! My memory of those days were the perks - we were sent "food baskets", in those days food boxes of General Mills products and we were able to purchase General Mills products through a employee catalogue. I saved up my allowance - I was about 8 and it was 10 cents a week - to buy a Tiny Tears doll. I loved it when he worked at General Mills.
He had a very sharp mind and knew how to see possibilities and opportunities in front of him. As a result, he was involved in numerous industries and owned many businesses over the years.
In 1960 he was the President of his company, Data Services Corporation.
In 1961, he and his brother Fred were supporters of a new magazine to be called "Northwest" that would use color photos to promote Washington tourism.
Frank also started a car rental service called "Letz Rent-a Car" in the early 1960's
He had a business in Idaho, owning a lodge at Coeur 'd Alene and was involved in many California businesses:
President of Golden Bear Land Company in Salinas (incorporated in Nevada)
Western Inns, Incorporated
Travel Lodge in San Jose
Several 'fast-food' restaurants
Later in life, he owned a few restaurants in Washington State.
Frank was also an author - having written a few short stories, one of which was a science fiction take on The Night Before Christmas.
(Note from Kathy: Dad always wanted to be a writer. He would write on yellow legal pads - remember, this was the 1950s and 1960s - and started books on such things as his theory about who the "real" Shakespeare was. My theory is that he just couldn't sit still long enough to write an entire book. But there were lots of starts on books. He also wanted to be a lawyer and even applied to - and was accepted by - San Francisco University Law School. We ended up moving to Seattle, however, and he never went to law school.)
Danielle Coker:
If there was a way to explain the best mother and everything you’d ever need as one beautiful person you got lucky enough to have as your mama her name would go down in history in the prettiest dictionary every. I don’t know how she did it but she did.. I love you mama I love u sooo much ! I look in the mirror and I see YOU. I’m so grateful for that and for the strength you left me as well you’re one of a kind and there’s no person ever that’ll be even similar. I’m the closest there may get but sure wish I knew the tricks ma! I love yaaa beautiful !
(By the way ur prettier!)😅
Henrietta Young:
She was my great aunt and one of the sweetest people you could meet. She ran a small country store that belonged to her deceased sister. During the summer time she would let everybody in the community use the land behind the store as a ballfield where everyone would play ball games and gave picnics. This was every Saturday and Sunday after church. She would make pitchers of homemade lemonade and served it ice cold.
Marquis Elliott:
My uncle John - When I was a little girl my uncle worked everyday building houses. He packed his lunch for work everyday so when he would come home in the evening as soon as he got out the car I would run to him asking him if I could have some of his soda and he would tell me no. So on this one time he said yes and handed it to me so I took it and turned it up to my mouth and when it got to my mouth I spit it out so fast because it wasn’t soda it was liquor. He said now he won’t have to worry about me anymore.
Ray L:
A Spirited Young Man Who Died Too Young - A very witty man with a strong personality. He loved his father and mother very much. He lived a fast life which is why he was taken from us at 21. Those who knew him were drawn to him by his humor, his personality that makes you feel a connection, and a loyalty to his friends and family.
Christina Peterson:
John Schilling was my great uncle. In 1922, Uncle John co-founded WHB, a Kansas City radio station. There he met his future wife, Yvonne Rodier, through her sister, my maternal grandmother, Marguerite. My grandmother had landed a job playing piano in the WHB studio orchestra. She met my grandfather, Ralph P. Stevens, a bass player, in the orchestra and they double dated with Schilling and Aunt Yvonne. Both couples subsequently married.
After WHB was sold, Uncle John became the manager and vice-president of KMBC, a local television station ([external link]).
As I remember Uncle John, he was a big, sandy-haired, mustached man with a red face and bright, blue eyes. He, my Aunt Yvonne and my grandparents did a lot of traveling together. They motor-toured the U.S. back when that was still an adventure and later took a number of trips to Mexico and Europe.
I spent a lot of time at Uncle John and Aunt Yvonne's home when I was young. It was a lovely place, set back from the street. They had never had children, and I rarely saw Uncle John. My understanding when I was young was that he was always terribly busy working. Many years later, I learned that, in addition to his duties at the station, he was usually kept pretty busy with other women.
Still, the more I learn about him, the more I wish I'd been older when I knew him. I'd love to hear him talk about his life. He was an adventurous and ambitious man who tried his hand at lots of things - often successfully.
Here's my one clear memory of him. One summer night, he showed me the constellation Orion and taught me how I could always find it by looking first for Orion's Belt, then his sword. That, in turn, got me interested in learning the stories behind, and the names and locations of the other constellations. I'm an old woman now but I always think of Uncle John when I look at the night sky. He gave me the stars.
Patricia Fuller:
James was my dad. He was unappreciated in his life. His father Charles abandoned his wife and three children James Charles and Dorothy. Growing up without a father shaped his view of life. He was a career Air Force. He was generous. He would step up and try to help others. He married my mother Maxine and adopted her three young sons. He was a good provider.
Kati Rhoat:
Father dad - This is my father my brothers & I know no one or nothing about my dads side we want to connect to anyone who could be family to him that might be alive & know anything we don’t know half of ourselves & we are looking trying to find something anything more then what we already know my name is Kati my 2 brothers are Micheal & Matthew Rhoat as far as we know we are his only kids but we don’t know anything else about any family on his side or any history other then what I have found
Jeri Connor:
Birthday momknapping - February 2005 I drove from Ft.HoodTx to Tool TX to momknap my mom for her birthday month. She had no idea I was picking her up. I had somewhat of a plan but not really. The only plan i had for sure was driving to Minneapolis Minnesota to visit my sister Tabitha. Mom was so excited when I showed up and delivered the news of my spontaneous birthday plan. Mom was always down for a road trip, guess that's where I got it from. We visited Minnesota my sister Tabitha of course, stepsister Stephanie step dad Lewis and step mom Cheryl. We all went to a bar and grill together and I remember mom and dad actually danced together. Cheryl in my opinion was a hell of a woman to not get all bent out of shape with them acting dancing and carrying on the way they did. We stayed about a week and took our time going back to Texas. I treated mom to a Gary Allen concert in Waco texas whom was one of her favorite singers. When he sang 'Right where I need to be' my mom swayed and sang along. At the end of the night, she said, " is this gonna be my last birthday? Cause I've just had the bestes birthday of my whole life! Thank you so much i love you my angel baby!" It wasn't her last birthday but it was the last birthday I was able to celebrate with her.
William Frisbee:
Deanna a Snapshot. - Deanna was one of those people who would always light up a room. She was a wife a mother and a friend to many. She was ambitious, smart, hard working and resourceful. She was artistic and had an natural flair for decorating. She was a good cook and made some awesome dishes. She loved her family and a good cup of coffee. A life cut way too short from Lung Cancer. After her passing her Sister, Mother and Father all passed away from the effects of smoking tobacco. She would want to warn others that smoking indeed can kill you. She was a Christian woman and loved Jesus. If there is a Heaven then she will be there.
Robert Olson:
Ron Reinking, Columbus IN - A good friend of mine who passed away at far too early an age. He worked at the State Capitol (Indianapolis) for many years - commuting daily from Columbus - and we used to welcome Ron to our downtown home in Indianapolis. He was friendly and hospitable - someone who I still think about after all these years!
Sheila López:
Luther Cottingham, family close friend - Remember vaguely Luther Cottingham as being a tall handsome , fair complexion man ; when I was a child back in the early 1960's Queens, New York. (Hollis Avenue, Queens Village, Saint Albans)
I don't know when or where my mama & Bill met Luther. Could had been in Brooklyn, Harlem., etc.
Luther lived off of Hollis Avenue & around
196th st ? a couple of miles from my Mama's Helen Cavanaugh (Lopez), (died January 29th, 1968) in Queens NYC, her partner Bill F Riddick, Sr, died Florida 1990's? mutual friends for yrs? ) My mom's house Queens Village on the corner of 207th & 111th Ave. off of Hollis Avenue & Francis Lewis Blvd. Bus line Q2.
Also, Liberty Avenue (landmark /huge Boulder stone in the middle of street) St Albans was very close to Luther's home.
Recall Luther (artist) had a house ? 2nd from the corner, & in the basement had a waterfall, stones, copper pennies, he had designed.
Also, around that time he was engaged, getting married.... Unfortunately, don't remember more, or any other encounters once married.
🗣️As a child & didn't know about grownups business, nor asked 😚🕊️
Leila Bensaeid:
My mother and 7 child and war in ìran va iraq and leave my father our a d go with shamsi zendehroudi bensaeid and two daughter mehrnoosh and shiva don't belong my father to maryland washington Dc USa, my dear mom god bless and thanks of all sad and cry for us 7 child ben bensaeid - The day I heard the war started, we were in Abadan. First, Khorramshahr was attacked. When we heard the news of the attack on Khorramshahr, we had no picture of the war at all and did not know what the war was. They said that Iraq has invaded. We had no idea of war in our youth. We thought it was a passing incident and it was over. Local forces repel the attacks and this will end soon. The war started on September 21 1978 and we did not know what war was until the second day of October, when the Abadan education building was bombed! After the attack on Abadan, we just understood the meaning of the war and what happened. It was the second day of October when we realized that the war was real and the war had begun. My mother did not know what to do with her 7 children.