Frank Papierz

Frank Papierz was a strong-minded man and protective husband, father and grandfather. Not only was he an excellent provider, he was passionate about his work. He considered it a privilege to get up each day and do the job he did for the loved ones in his life.

Frank was born to Joseph and Anna (Urban) Papierz in Texas Township, Michigan on May 20, 1931. He was the sixth of twelve children in the Papierz family of Polish Catholics. Though it was a difficult time for many Americans struggling to survive the Great Depression, they managed to make life pleasant and the youngsters still enjoyed an All-American childhood. Frank and his brothers played basketball and a lot of baseball. In fact, baseball became Frank’s lifetime sport—first playing in a city league, then with eastside baseball, and much later, he played softball in his senior years.

Frank’s father worked as a farmer and a lineman in a foundry, and in his early life, Frank lived in several different communities. He attended a one-room school house on 8th Street and R Avenue, then St. Augustine High School in Kalamazoo, and he ended his schooling at Comstock. Frank learned much about life and the value of hard work that prepared him for his own family.

Frank met his future wife, Betty Willems, when both were dating others. It was outside the Michigan Theatre in Kalamazoo that they first made a connection, and Frank called Betty numerous times after. Persistence, and the fact that her mother liked Frank, gave their relationship the impetus that blossomed into a lifelong commitment. The couple was married February 20, 1954 by Fr. Nadrach at St. Joseph Catholic Church. After honeymooning in Chicago, Illinois and Wisconsin, Frank and Betty settled into married life on Worden Street and moved his four younger siblings in with them since both parents had died. They were living there in Comstock when the two of them began their own family that grew to include five children: Julie, Gary, Greg, Lisa and Kara.

Beginning with his younger siblings, then his children and eventually his grandchildren, Frank always managed to organize sports gatherings—playing and also attending Detroit Tiger baseball and K-Wings hockey games. He was never late for the sporting events and usually had to “encourage” Betty to hurry up. However, Frank never needed encouragement to show up for dinner when Betty was cooking. Her cabbage rolls were favored among her many Polish dishes, and her nut bread was the best.

In true Polish pride, Frank loved to Polka, and he and Betty were pretty smooth on the dance floor. They also bowled together on a league for 17 years and were active in the Knights of Columbus —so much so that their children often commented that “they lived there.” Frank also served as Parish Council President at St. John Bosco and was a faithful usher for 35 years, giving his energy and skill to the faith that gave him strength and peace.

Frank had begun his working career at a gas and service station on Portage Street. He rode his scooter to work but later bought a car when he started at Consumers Powers in 1950. Being mechanically inclined, he worked primarily in Industrial Gas Services and loved it. “No job can beat this,” he would say. Undoubtedly, it could be said of Frank that few workers beat him either, as he proudly served the company for 40 years.

Prior to his 1990 retirement, Frank worked from home, driving his Consumers truck in the Van Buren County area. As a side benefit, he came to know all the cafés where he could get good coffee, and he met strangers who quickly became friends. He found it easy to strike up a conversation, and amazingly, Frank could remember details of all the people he met over a cup of coffee.

At home, Frank continued to drink coffee from his Consumers Power cup every day. Understandably, he never liked to travel since he was on the road all the time for his trucking job, though he and Betty made an exception with his sister Sue and her husband Ron when they went to Florida together. Instead, Frank and Betty had a cottage on Crooked Lake, a few miles from their home, where he could sit back with a PBR or glass of red wine, fish a little or grill a lot and host family gatherings. Dubbed his “Glorified Bath House,” Frank steadily fixed up the place, doing all the work himself. Truth be told, it didn’t matter where they gathered, Frank enjoyed having his family around, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, when love and laughter filled the house.

As a father, Frank had thought there wasn’t a man on earth who was good enough to date his daughters. However, when they did begin families of their own, Frank was thrilled to become a grandfather. Over the years, he attended all the grandkids sporting events, and when grandson Kyle came to live with them in 1997, Frank’s love for baseball was rekindled as he followed Kyle everywhere he played.

As early as 1962, Frank and his family had moved to Mattawan and settled into rural life with horses, pigs, cows, dogs and grapes. For a number of years, he worked the vineyard that eventually made way for the house that became the family home. For fun, he named all his equipment, such as “Fergie” the tractor and “Black Diamond” the truck. Whether driving tractor, riding snowmobile or occasionally going hunting, Frank always liked being outdoors.

Among his other pleasures in life, Frank listened to the music of Lawrence Welk and the comedy of Johnny Carson and Dean Martin. He himself had a dry sense of humor that came out just at the right time. In general, Frank was a man of few words who “spoke volumes” in the way he lived his life.

In recent years, Frank began to suffer with Parkinson’s disease, and in 2010 he was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer. He died Sunday, October 6, 2013 at Heartland HCC in Kalamazoo. Along with his gold-toothed smile and his signature snack of Raisinets, Frank will be remembered as caring and dedicated, determined and even stubborn about making life good for his family.

Frank Papierz, age 82 of Mattawan, Michigan was preceded in death by 7 siblings: Eli, Mary, Emma, Joseph, Rudy, Bernard and Clare. Members of his family include his wife of 59 years, Betty (Willems) Papierz; 5 children: Julie (Ken) Munting, Gary Papierz, Greg (Beverly) Papierz, Lisa Papierz and Kara Papierz; 10 grandchildren: Kyle (Morgan), Eric (Jenni), Todd (Kelly), Jacob, Aaron, Josh, Alex, Andrew, Patrick and Ashley; 4 great-grandchildren; 4 siblings: Trudy Bushouse, Barbara Melvin, Sue Stevens and Dennis Papierz; 2 sisters-in-law: Kathy Papierz and Barbara Papierz and many nieces and nephews. Learn more about Frank and visit with his family and friends while sharing some food and refreshments on Wednesday from 5:00 – 8:00 PM at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler - 6080 Stadium Dr; 269-375-2900 where a prayer service will be held at 7:30 PM. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday 11:00 AM at St. John Bosco Church, Mattawan. A luncheon will follow in the church hall. Burial will take place later at Robinson Cemetery, Gobles. Please visit Frank’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can archive a favorite memory or photo and sign his online guestbook before coming to the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made to St. John Bosco Church or West Michigan Cancer Center.