Franklin Dee Wareham

Following a life well lived, Franklin Dee Wareham returned home on May 25, 2024. We are confident he was met with a loving embrace from his sweetheart Gayle.

Frank was born June 3, 1933, in Orangeville, Utah, in the home of his grandparents. His parents, Victor Adams Wareham and Verona Geneve Fullmer, had 4 sons – Vic, Frank, Scott and Phillip as well as Zinnia their only daughter.

Frank married his true love and soulmate Gayle Rowley in Elko, Nevada on July 6, 1956. They were later sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple on June 7, 1957, and had the great blessing of having their precious daughter Michele sealed to them at that time. Four more children blessed their marriage in the subsequent years. The love and loyalty Frank and Gayle shared grew throughout their nearly 65 years of marriage and will continue to grow through the eternities. They are truly best friends.

As a young man Frank excelled in sports including basketball, track and baseball. Seeking to improve his situation from a difficult and transient childhood, Frank joined the United States Navy where, in his three years of service, he earned the National Defense Medal – Korean Service – United Nations. He also earned the Fleet Aircraft Service Squadron 120 patch. He used his basketball skills to play for the FAS120 all-star squad traveling the Pacific to play games. While serving in Japan he took the opportunity to climb Mt. Fuji. Using his baseball skills as a young married, he would join his ward teammates in traveling from Southern California to Salt Lake City for the All-Church softball championships. 

Frank then took advantage of the GI Bill to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Utah and later earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California. With this training, he embarked in his early career assisting in the development of the Atlas missile (the first ICBM missiles for the U.S. military). This was followed by work on the Gemini space program. Frank then transitioned to a small biomedical firm where he developed and earned a patent for the hospital bracelets that have become ubiquitous in healthcare today. His later career saw him as one of the founders of Energy National Inc., a subsidiary of Utah Power and Light and later Pacific Generation. There he earned the Utah Engineers Council Engineer of the Year Award in 1989. Always striving to improve his knowledge and skills, he earned an executive MBA from the University of Utah later in his career. 

Frank spent his life in discovery and taking on challenges. His acumen and intelligence came into play as he helped his wife, children and grandchildren understand complex mathematical and engineering concepts as they studied in high school and college. He shared his knowledge with school children by volunteering as a math tutor at local elementary schools for several years. Frank was an avid jogger and took his beloved running a step further by completing the Deseret News Marathon on July 24, 1980. Later he joined a son and daughter-in-law in river hiking the Virgin River through The Narrows in Zion National Park…because he hadn’t done it before, and it sounded like fun. 

Frank was a dedicated member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in leadership for the stake seventies quorums and ward elders quorums and high priest groups. He also served an 8-year stint as Cub Master and became an expert at Cub Scout applauses and running an exciting and efficient Pinewood Derby. His wife Gayle loved and was proficient at family history which afforded the opportunity for Frank and Gayle to serve a two-year Family History mission. They completed a second service mission in the Salt Lake Inner City Mission where they spent two years working with poor and needy families in the Salt Lake area to help improve their ability to be self-sufficient, again using his knowledge and skills to improve the lives of those around him. For the last 15 years of his life Frank served as his stake’s temple indexing coordinator. His efforts included delivering training sessions to multiple ward and youth groups. Under his guidance, members of his stake indexed large numbers of records that have expanded the FamilySearch database. Frank personally completed over 24,000 batches of records himself. 

Frank was preceded in death by his parents, siblings Zinnia and Phillip, wife Gayle and infant daughter Michele. Frank is survived by his children Linda (Stephen) Bullough, Franklin (Judy) Wareham II, Alan (Juliette) Wareham and Laura (Thomas) Call. He is also survived by his brothers Vic Wareham and Scott Wareham. Frank was loved and will be missed by 13 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

Frank will be interred next to his beloved Gayle and their daughter Michele to await the resurrection in a shared space at Memorial Redwood Cemetery, 6500 South Redwood Road, West Jordan Utah. A graveside service for family members will be held on Saturday, June 1, 2024, at 10:00 AM.