Meet your neighbor

It is finally spring in Odessa, and the world is beautiful. Let me introduce you to my neighbor Frank Clark.

Frank was born April 29, 1947 in Everett. He grew up in Lake Stevens with his parents and five sisters. He graduated from Lake Stevens High School in 1965, and soon after graduation he joined the U.S. Marines. He served two full combat terms in Vietnam. During that time he met a girl in Japan. They married and through that union two daughters were born. The marriage ended in divorce in 1980. Frank is the grandfather of six grandchildren, five granddaughters and one grandson.

Frank also served with the NATO forces in the Mediterranean, Europe and the Far East. He was in Greece, Spain, Russia and Germany in peace-time operations. He spoke Vietnamese, Russian, German and Japanese. Among those languages he told me he still speaks and writes Japanese. In 2001, Frank retired from the Marines.

Later he joined the U.S. Army Reserve in Everett, Wash. During his time in the Reserve, he also worked part time in the landscaping field, which he really enjoyed. In 2004, he joined the U.S. Marine Reserve at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. He received many medals while serving his country and retired with an honorable discharge after 29 years of service.

In 2008, he bought a motor home and traveled all over the U.S. before settling in Odessa in 2016. Frank had come to Odessa often to go fishing and golfing with his friend of 25 years, Pete Spreine. Other hobbies of Frank's include flint knapping arrow heads out of obsidian, tying flys for fishing, jewelry making, wood and stone carving, just to name a few.

Frank is also very active in the Odessa V.F.W. If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Frank and listening to his interesting stories, you can usually find him at senior meals at the Old Town Hall Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Until next time... Enjoy life!