Friday, April 19, 2024
Frank Peter Sargent was born in Bad Hersfeld, Germany, July 22, 1946. He came to the United States when he was 2 years old with his mother, Gerda Martha Froelich Sargent, on an Army Transport ship.
Frank grew up in Edmonds, attending schools in the Edmonds School District. While in high school, Frank's first employer was the Edmonds Yacht Club, where he worked as a dishwasher. He graduated from Edmonds High School in 1964 and immediately enlisted in the Air Force during the Vietnam War era.
Frank's tour of duty landed him at March Air Force Base in Riverside County, California. He rose to the rank of sergeant in less than four years, a feat that normally takes six years. His primary duty was as a dog handler training dogs to patrol perimeter fences and areas. After his four years of service, he was honorably discharged and assigned to the Air Force Reserves for two years.
Frank attended Columbia College while residing in California, achieving a bachelor's degree In business management. Frank met his first wife, Roberta Olds Fouke, during this time. They married in 1969.
Frank and his wife moved back to the state of Washington in the early 1970s. Frank and Roberta had a daughter, Sandra Louise Sargent. Frank purchased a small bookshop at the Lake Forest Park Town Center. He turned that bookshop into a 4,000-square-foot Hallmark Gold Crown Store which he ran successfully until he sold the business in 2000.
Frank and Roberta divorced in 1979. In 1993, he married his surviving spouse, Marilla Bihr Sargent.
Frank was truly a Renaissance man. He excelled at each interest he had. Founding treasurer of the Lake Forest Park Rotary Club, founding member of the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce, founding president of the Lake Forest Park Merchants Association, scuba diver, float plane pilot, avid snow skier, Petroliana collector, banjo player, real estate managing broker, and finally a Snohomish County certified Master Gardener.
Frank always met each opportunity with a drive to learn, and become an expert in his field. When he committed to train as a Master Gardener, he passed his three-month class with proficiency. His next goal was to acquire his 100-hour, then 1,000-hour, volunteer pin, which he did in record time.
He went on to be a teacher for about eight years in the program sponsored by the extension office of Washington State University. Frank's crowning moment as a Master Gardener was when he volunteered for several years at the Tulalip Hibulb Cultural Center to teach the residents to grow their own vegetables.
Frank was honored for this volunteerism at the Hibulb Cultural Center with a "Blanketing Ceremony." Elder Hank Gubin, now deceased, provided the honors to Frank.
Frank passed away on Sunday, March 5, 2023, after a two-year courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Marilla Bihr Sargent, of 30 years; his daughter, Sandra Louise Sargent; stepchildren Sara Nicole Shiveley and Richard Randall Crist; and five grandchildren.
The family asks for donations in his memory be made to the Foundation for the Edmonds School District's Nourishing Network program. www.foundationesd.org.
