Francis "Frank" Burgener

Francis “Frank” Earl Burgener

Frank Burgener passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, December 24, 2012.  He was 72.
A rosary is planned for Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 6:00 p.m., followed by funeral services on Wednesday, January 2, 2013, at 10:00 a.m.  Both will be held at St. Barbara's Catholic Church in Powell.

Frank was born in Powell, Wyoming on October 22, 1940 to Theodore and Marie (Huss) Burgener.  He grew up in Powell on the family farm which has been in operation continuously for more than 100 years.  He attended Powell schools through high school, and after graduation he enlisted in the Army, and served his country for two years.  After returning to Wyoming he accepted a job with Dick Jones Trucking in 1959, and he stayed at that job for nearly 48 years.  He had an almost perfect driving record, and he received awards from the Wyoming Truck Driver's Association and the American Professional Truck Driver's Association for Driver of the Month in 1992 and 2000, as well as Driver of the Year in 2001.  He also received the Pioneer Award in 2008.

Frank was always happy to help his friends and family, and he was able to fix just about anything with ease.  He was a volunteer at his church, and a care-giver at home.  His loss will be deeply felt.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother, Lloyd Burgener of Powell.

He is survived by his sister-in-law, Shirley Burgener of Powell; his nieces Holly Burgener of Powell, and Misty (JR) Pederson of Powell; nephew Blaine Willis of Powell; great-nieces Samantha and Alexis Pederson, and Jada Willis; and great-nephews Jonathan Pederson and Richard Willis.

Interment will be at Crown Hill Cemetery in Powell, and a luncheon at St. Barbara's Catholic Church will follow the interment.


Thoughts From a Friend:

For the longest time, I never "knew" FRANK at all....except when LLYOD and myself would
make a big mess or made too much noise with 4 letter words for example, out of the
darkness the outline of a man leaning against the side of a tractor tire quietly observing
the situation then upon being recognized would say "better keep it down now" and then
disappear again... like a ghost. The weird part was... we did without question follow the
suggested remedy however. FRANK accomplished the rest of his life the same way... a
MILLION miles at a time, driving 80,000 pounds. FRANK never married, but loved setting
a seat and teaching others "what your mirrors should see for you", when you’re a truck
driver. I will personally add, his retirement pick-up was operated the same way @8,000
lbs.

Fast forward a decade or 4 and now Frank could be YUL BRYNNER’s look alike… and he is
an uncle now. His mother passed and his brother was staying there now. Lloyds’ difficulty
is a challenge many families experience. The days are long, thankless, with never ending
first time events that defeat best efforts in 24 hour segments. I saw a daily cadence of visits
that involved every family member and friends, and adjustments to accommodate the
needs from laundry to lifesavers. Without complaint or contempt, rather genuine care that
endured. 60 days ago his brother passed and the last of the improvements started then are
95% done now. We agreed to finish after the holidays are done and spend time at home
with our families. Weird thing was… without question … we did … all of us, Frank passed
later that day, and got to spend the holiday with his family, too. He’s leaning on that tractor
tire waiting for everyone to realize he’s there – and then say “better keep it down now”!

It’s an eternal smile that works every time I remember my friend, Frank. He is on the

Highway to Heaven with 80,000 prayers.

Sincerely

Marc A Roberson


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