| Graduation Year | Class of 1972 |
| Date of Birth | Sep 19, 1953 |
| Date of Passing | Apr 12, 2023 |
| About | Frank L. Girard Frank Lynn Girard died peacefully at home on April 12, 2023, in Boise Idaho, holding the hand of his wife, and was surrounded by both of his sons, his daughter-in-law, his granddaughter, his mother-in-law, his hospice nurse, and his hospice aide. A celebration of life reception will be held at 12:00 pm, noon, on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at Bowman Funeral Parlor, 10254 W. Carlton Bay Dr. in Garden City. To watch the memorial service, please visit: https://vimeo.com/824201302?share=copy Frank, the oldest of three boys, was born on September 19, 1953, to Jay Lynn and Martha Joan Girard. He was later joined by two brothers, Steve and Ray. Frank’s father was in the United States Air Force, and they moved often so Frank had the pleasure of living in many states and even a foreign country. The places he talked about most were High Wycombe, England and Fairbanks, Alaska. Frank loved telling the story of the Volkswagen bug his dad had shipped with them to England, which meant driving was always an adventure with his dad often having to stick his head out the window to see since the steering wheel was on the wrong side. He also loved Alaska with its beautiful scenery, the magnificent northern lights, living and driving in extremely cold weather, telling stories (real or not) about how the tires would be frozen with a flat spot and you would hear them thumping until they warmed up, riding motorcycles in the summers, coaching with his father, and especially the skiing. Frank graduated from Ben Eielson High School in Fairbanks, Alaska in 1972 and joined the United States Air Force for a brief time in 1973. In December 1973 he attended Cloverdale Park Technical College and earned a diploma in Data Processing Operations. Years later in 1983, he enrolled at Idaho State University and graduated in 1988 with a BBA, in Computer Information Systems. He loved going to school and was proud to be the president of the university computer ACM club. He even taught classes for the new PC WordPerfect word processing application and Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets. In 1987 he was listed in the book of Outstanding Young of America. In 2004, Frank began pursuing his master’s degree in history at Boise State University. During his time at BSU, he and Jackie travelled to Europe with a history group led by his favorite professor to study the Byzantine time period and the emperor Constantine. Frank’s favorite hobbies included riding motorcycles as a kid and his Harley as an adult, playing matchbox cars with his brothers, playing baseball, skiing every chance he got, fishing, golfing, camping, playing guitar and harmonica (even at the same time), listening to all genres of music, going to car shows and even showing his ’66 Mustang in a some of them, smiling, laughing, playing practical jokes, spending time with his family and friends, and coaching his sons in sports, including baseball. Originally Frank worked for the Union Pacific Railroad as a lineman hanging communication lines. He had no fear of heights and said that at one time he had climbed every single communication pole in the Columbia River Gorge. After graduating from ISU Frank began his new career in information technology. He worked at the INL for several years and then left to start his own consulting business called Olympus Computing, Inc. This eventually led him to Boise to join CRI Advantage with a consulting job at Idaho Power. Later in 1999, he landed his dream job with a global company called Rapidigm. He had created a business plan and pitched them a new idea, remote services, which only a few companies were doing at the time. He was hired as the Director of Strategic Support Services and Frank ran this line of business very successfully for them for many years. Frank believed people, relationships, and customer service were of utmost importance and always provided the best to each of his clients. Most of all, working at Rapidigm wasn’t just a job, it was a family. He spent many days traveling with the Rapidigm family and even taking his own family with him to the family retreats. In 1982, Frank met the love of his life and soulmate Jackie and were later married in 1983. They spent 41 wonderful years together. The first thing that caught Jackie’s eye was Frank’s beautiful smile that lit up his eyes, his unique laugh, and his funny sense of humor. During the first years of their marriage Frank spent many hours studying at ISU, and skiing whenever they got the chance. After his graduation in 1988, he began his favorite role as a parent. His son Dec’lan-Amadeus was born in 1989 and his son Vincent was born in 1991. He loved his sons very much and loved spending time with his family. One of his favorite things was to coach his kids in sports and especially his favorite sport baseball. He was so happy to have the privilege to coach them for so many years. So much love and joy and so many fun adventures. In 2003, Frank attended his wife’s graduation from Boise State University. He had been the one to encourage her to pursue a degree and was happy she was able to do so. In 2014, Frank was honored to attend his son Vincent’s graduation from the University of Idaho. He was proud of Vincent’s dedication and achievements and was excited for him when he landed his first job after graduation. He even helped him move to Portland. In February 2020, Frank traveled with his family to Las Vegas to attend his son Dec’lan-Amadeus and soon to be daughter-in-law Crystal’s wedding. It was such a joyous occasion. In December 2021, Frank’s wish came true to be a grandpa and his beautiful granddaughter Deja was born to Dec’lan-Amadeus and Crystal. He was even able to meet and hold her in August 2022. These memories are priceless for his family. Frank also had another person in his life, Evaan, whom he loved like a son. Frank was always so proud of the man Evaan grew to be and what a good father he became. Frank was preceded in death by his father Jay Lynn Girard. The family would like to thank Jackie’s mom, Joyce, for helping Jackie care for Frank the last seven years and for the love and support of his sons and daughter-in-law. They would also like to thank Heart ‘n Home Hospice for providing excellent in-home hospice care for the last months of Frank’s life. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donating to the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of Frank. To watch Frank’s memorial tribute video, please visit: https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/4KH2X9YQZ2K9K6PX Arrangements are under the direction of Bowman Funeral Parlor of Garden City. |
