Francis "Frank" Kovach

Frank Kovach was a spontaneous, adventurous man who was not afraid to live life in the fast lane. He was also an easy-going guy who had a wonderful sense of humor and was not afraid to laugh at himself. Another side of Frank Kovach was the "incurable romantic." Frank loved his family and his friends with great passion and his love reached beyond as he compassionately gave freely to anyone in need, without judging their motives.

In 1928, Frank's grandparents, Stephen and Anna Kovach, built the family homestead at

4022 Vanderbilt Road

in

Portage

. At that time,

Portage

was a beautiful country side and the family owned many roaming acres to play and harvest. July 3, 1950 Frank and Agnes Kovach were blessed with their first child, a son they named Francis (Frank). Frank, Sr provided for the family by working as a teacher in the

Portage

school system. Before becoming a homemaker, Agnes worked for Doubleday Bros, as well as, at Schencils Cafeteria. After Frank's birth, the family continued to grow and Frank became the oldest of seven siblings. His brother, John, passed away as an infant. Frank grew up with his family on

Egleston Ave

but would often ride his bike out to his grandparents to hang out with his cousins. Frank loved the acreage, which backed up to the lake and he felt free to roam and explore. At fifteen, he got a motorcycle, but in no time he found himself with a speeding ticket. That mistake left him without a license for a month and although it devastated him, it did not slow him down in life. He spent time downhill skiing, water-skiing and cross-country skiing. In 1968, Frank graduated from

Hackett

Catholic

Central

High School

and went on to Ferris State College. After receiving his Bachelor's degree from Ferris, Frank went to

Western

Michigan

University

and earned his Master's degree. He admired his father's career as a teacher and longed to follow in his footsteps. Frank did just that, and for more than thirty years he dedicated himself to being the best teacher he could be. His favorite subject was history and he creatively implemented experiences to stimulate learning for his students. His favorite part of history was the civil war and Frank would reenact famous battles, even bringing in horses and firing small cannons. He always felt it a privilege to teach.

In 1973, Frank married Janet Burnham. Although their marriage did not last, they were grateful for the blessing of their two beautiful daughters, Amy, born in 1975 and Jody, born in 1977. Frank was a great father. He looked forward to the times he spent with his girls and they enjoyed taking nature walks in state parks, playing in the rain, skiing, fishing, bike riding and playing hide and seek. Frank even allowed them to continually send him to the roof, by sneaking up and surprising him when he least expected it. The girls loved it.

Frank somehow found time in his life to not only teach, but also farm. In 1950 his father established Kovach Blueberry Farms. Following his father's death, Frank felt led to carry on the family tradition that his father worked so hard to start. In 1989, he took over working and managing the blueberry operation and became a member of the Michigan Blueberry Association. He felt truly blessed to have two careers that he thoughly enjoyed.

In 1991, Frank was encouraged by his friends to meet a woman named Sue, who was also being encouraged by the same friends to meet him. Neither of them felt ready for a blind date, however, Sue was prodded by her girlfriend to buy a pink ski outfit and head out to Bittersweet Ski Resort. She did, and while she was there, she and Frank met on their own. On their first date, following that chance meeting, Frank prepared a romantic picnic basket with wine and planned to take Sue skiing. He did not realize until he went to pick her up, that she didn't really like skiing, so instead, they enjoyed the picnic and getting to know one another around Frank's kitchen table. Frank felt connected to Sue right away and each day on the way to work he would write a little note and drop it by her house. He proposed to her at their favorite restaurant, Aries, next to her favorite picture of a painting of Iris's. He arranged the table with elegant pink roses. When Frank asked Sue to marry him, she was a little hesitant. He told her that the next time she would have to ask him and a few months later, she did. The couple was happily married on October 30, 1992. They lived in the old family homestead which is now in the bustling suburb of

Portage

. Even though much of the original property had been sold off, it still contains more than twenty acres. They nurtured and cared for their Golden Retriever, Casey, a Yorkie, Chloe and a Silky, Toby. Each year everyone got together for an annual hay ride, which often included more than two-hundred and fifty people. Frank proudly drove the tractor and joyfully catered to his guests. For his fiftieth birthday celebration he insisted on all his family and friends coming to their home for a camp out in the backyard with food and fireworks. It was a huge success and he always said if you were going to do something, "make it epic," which is what his camp out and his whole life really was.

Frank enjoyed everything he did. Although he was driven to excel, he sometimes got sidetracked. He accrued more than fifty hours of flying time, but never got around to solo and get his license. He was a great reader, especially books on the civil war. Frank often read several books at once, some biographies and some novels. He also enjoyed watching the history and discovery channels. Frank lived a happy life. He knew how to live in the moment. He took time to connect sincerely with others and was truly genuine in the relationships he developed.

Although Frank will be deeply missed, his kindness, sense of humor and passion for life will endure as an inspiration for all who knew him.

Francis "Frank" Kovach, age 55, died July 21, 2005 from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. Frank was preceded in death by his father; Frank, an infant brother; John, and his cousin; Chris Kovach. Members of his family include his wife; Sue (Derhammer) Kovach with whom he was united in marriage October 30, 1992, two daughters; Amy (Jamie) Clark of Portage and Jody (Matthew) Lemmer of Kalamazoo, two grandsons; Patrick and David, his mother; Agnes Kovach of Rockford, MI, four sisters; Pamm Mandalou of FL, Rita Kovach of Rockford, MI, Janice Gillstedt of Grand Rapids, and Annette Brillinger of New Boston, MI, two brothers; Jim Kovach of Rockford, MI and Tom Kovach of Belmont, MI, several nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles. To learn more about Frank's life, friends may visit with his family on Sunday from 2:00-4:00p.m. & 6:00-8:00p.m. at the Betzler Life Story Funeral Home Stadium Dr. West of US 131 where a prayer service will be held Sunday evening at 7:30p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday 11:00a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church with visitation at the church beginning at 10:00a.m. Please visit Frank's personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can share a memory, order flowers on-line, or make a memorial contribution. Memorials may be made to the Kalamazoo Humane Society.