Frank Elliott

Frank Elliott passed away peacefully after a short illness on May 23, 2013 with his family by his side at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital. Frank was born in Fort Benton, MT on April 20, 1929, the son of Frank and Marie Elliott. He grew up working hard on the family farm. He met and married Joann Torgerson in 1950 in Bozeman while attending Montana State College. He graduated with a degree in Industrial Engineering in 1951 and they moved to California where he worked as an aeronautical engineer for North American Aviation. Soon after their son Randy was born they moved to Layton, Utah where he worked for USAF evaluating damaged aircraft. Three years after their daughter Janis was born they moved to Yellowstone National Park where he worked his way up to Chief of Maintenance. His family and their friends enjoyed fishing trips on Yellowstone Lake in the boat he salvaged using his aircraft repair skills. He worked for the National Park Service in Yellowstone, Shenandoah, Glacier, and Yosemite before retiring to Bozeman. In retirement he built an experimental aircraft and worked side by side with his children building their homes. He did repairs and maintenance on the Sourdough Fire Station and volunteered with Habitat of Humanity, Meals on Wheels and the Pioneer Museum. He served on the boards of the United Methodist Church and Bozeman Deaconess Hospital. An avid reader all his life, he also enjoyed puzzles, painting, flying, building gifts, ice skating, skiing and golf. He was a devoted husband and father who enjoyed lending a hand. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Joann, in March 2013. He is survived by son Randy (Beth) and daughter Janis all of Bozeman, his sister Sharon Lee of Forsyth, grandson Jamie (Alissa), great-grandson Sam and many nieces and nephews.