Frank M. Easley

Frank M. Easley, 90, of Beaumont, died Thursday, March 28, 2019, at Harbor Hospice, Beaumont. He was born in Hale Center, Texas, in 1928. His family moved to Gravette, Arkansas, a few years later. Frank was educated in the fine Gravette public schools and graduated from the University of Arkansas.

He settled in Oklahoma City in the 1950’s and was an insurance CLU with New York Life Insurance Co. and had his own agency. Suddenly eleven days before he was too old to be drafted, he was drafted into the 101st Airborne. He had tried to enlist twice but was turned down. When his unit shipped out, he was on punishment duty for refusing to go to Officers Candidate School, so he was sent to England to an assignment area. A Colonel found him and got him assigned to Frankfurt, Germany, in the AG McFarland building. Frank spent the remainder of his military service there. He was in charge of all travel. Anyone wanting to go anywhere in the European theater had to cross his desk. Frank also took many religious retreats in Europe.

Upon his return to America, he settled in Tulsa, Oklahoma and was a sales person for Triangle Blue Print and Supply Company. In this capacity as a salesman, he met Jo Helen Easley in October of 1959. They married April 8, 1960, about six months later.

In 1966, he was asked to go to Fort Smith, Arkansas, to run a failing business that Triangle had bought. Frank was very successful and paid for the investment in nineteen months.

In 1971, the Chairwoman of the Board of Triangle Blue Print asked Frank to come back to Tulsa and become Vice President and Marketing Manager. He accepted, but in 1973 he quit to move his family to the Gulf Coast.

Frank loved the beach and the bayous of Hackberry, Louisiana, where crabs were huge. The fishing piers south of High Island were wonderful places to fish. He could catch two trout at a time.

A year later, Frank took a job with a bank equipment company. LeFebure out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was very proud of their products. The craftsmen were masters in their fields. Although the company sold a few times before he retired, he worked for them for more than 25 years and retired at age 67.

In 1976, Frank was asked to become President of Some Other Place. He built the first permanent building getting donations by the square foot. In 1980, when unemployment was high and people came to the sun belt to find work and ended up living under bridges, Some Other Place was feeding 400 plus at lunch out of this little building. Frank had already bought the old Fertitta Clinic at McFaddin and Center for $40,000 from MHR. He gave them $10 out of his build fold for earnest money.

We needed a nutrition center to run Meals on Wheels and feed all that were coming to eat. The Rogers brothers came forth with seed money to name after their sister. Before the building was finished Frank was transferred to Corpus Christi, Texas. Lee Freeland, then President of SOP (and very competent) finished the job.

Frank worked from 5:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. at least three days a week. He was in the Rio Grande Valley about three days a week. He found the time to really love the Gulf Coast again. He fished anytime he could. He belonged to the First United Methodist Church on the Bay Front, but they didn’t seem to need accomplished volunteers. Even after Mouzon Biggs called him out as one who could solve a money problem they had raised in a meeting, they never called upon him. However, he was President of the Ginny Hill Cooper Class there. This was THE class of the church.

In 1997, Frank retired and returned to Beaumont. Paula O’Neal asked if he would come back to the board. He became President again. He was been President five times. She said she needed space and money. Frank embarked on trying to secure the land across the street from the operations building. It took six months. Finally, he drew a plan for a steel building of 7,000 square feet. A garage door and ramp in the rear, four bathrooms, and no kitchen as the regulations and expense would be too great. Saul Rogers gave the seed money for this building. It is named after his wife, Miriam Rogers. This great hall housed the Thanksgiving store and the Children’s Christmas give away. It is used as a community center for non-profit organizations.

Frank is well knowns for his vegetables. After retirement he produced many vegetables for the Some Other Place Nutrition Center. Yellow squash, eggplant, and cucumbers. Frank could produce 10 to 16 four-gallon buckets of vegetables a week during growing season.

He has received many honors. He was a Jefferson award recipient and Man of the Year at Trinity United Methodist Church. Frank was honored to work and coach in the West End Little League. Frank was a member of the Trinity Army and was chairman of the Trinity Garage Sale for two years running. In 2015, Frank was honored again by Some Other Place, and they named the complex the Some Other Place Frank Easley Campus and put signs to such on the fence.

Survivors include his wife, Jo Helen Clark Easley; daughter, Catherine Clubb and her husband, Johnny, of Lumberton; son, Clark Easley and his wife, Susan, of Corpus Christi; daughter, Laura Courville and her husband, Charles, of Sour Lake; son, Byron Easley of Beaumont; grandchildren, Christopher Courville, Ashley Courville, Tara Clubb, Chase Clubb, Harley Easley, Tyler Easley, and Colton Long; and great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents and brother, Marvin Easley.

A gathering of Mr. Easley’s family and friends will be from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., Sunday, March 31, 2019, at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. His funeral service will be 11:00 a.m., Monday, April 1, 2019, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 3430 Harrison Avenue, Beaumont. A family committal will be held at Broussard’s Crematorium, Beaumont.

Memorial contributions may be made to Some Other Place, P.O. Box 0843, Beaumont, Texas 77704 or Trinity United Methodist Church, 3430 Harrison Avenue, Beaumont, Texas 77706.