Frank Pelech, 82, passed away Thursday, July 14, 2016, at Brendan House, where he was being cared for following complications of a major stroke he suffered at the end of April.
Frank was born in Ashley, Pennsylvania, the son of a coal miner and one of seven children. He worked from a very young age, selling newspapers on the corner, shining shoes, working in the fields harvesting vegetables. He enjoyed sports and played the trumpet so well he was offered a chance to attend the Julliard School of Music, but was disappointed when his parents wouldn’t let him go to New York City.
Frank joined the Coast Guard as soon as he was old enough and served aboard an icebreaker in the North Atlantic and Arctic. He later joined the Navy and served aboard an aircraft carrier, where he worked on airplanes and started taking classes in electronics. He got his associate degree in electrical engineering from Southern Technical Institute in Marietta, Georgia.
He moved with his first wife from Delaware, where he was working at the Dupont Company, to live on a ranch in Libby. After his divorce, he worked at long-haul trucking and met his wife, Diane, and daughter, Mia, and they soon became a family. They moved to Washington state, where Frank eventually finished his degree in electronics engineering through Chapman University. He was working as a civilian for the Naval Undersea Warfare Engineering Center in Keyport, Washington. He loved his job there while working on submarine torpedoes at the test ranges and supporting SEAL teams in their training.
Frank retired in 1995, and he and Diane moved back to Montana. They eventually settled in Kalispell, where Frank worked for a short time at Semitool. After he left Semitool, he enjoyed gardening, camping, fishing, shooting guns, boating and barbecuing.
Frank was preceded in death by his parents, John and Katherine Pelech; three brothers, John, Joe and Stanley Pelech; sister, Delores Karpovich; and son, Michael Pelech.
Frank is survived by his wife, Diane, at the family home in Kalispell; his daughter, Mia Wolf and family, of Port Orchard, Washington; four children from his first marriage; one sister, Joan Kondraski, of Mountain Top, Pennsylvania; one brother, Walter and spouse, of Florida; sisters-in-law, Delores Pelech and Margaret Pelech of Florida; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Bryan and Joan Stahlberg of Kalispell, Bryan and Janis Marshall of Florida, and David Bradley of Missoula; and many nieces, nephews, and grandchildren.
At Frank’s request, there will be no services. Diane would like to express her gratitude for the exceptional care that Frank received and also the numerous hugs and “caring words” that Diane received during the long stay at Brendan House.