Frank Allan Eastman

Frank Allan Eastman passed away peacefully at home on August 16, 2021 with his wife Kay at his side.  He was born December 29, 1926 in Shreveport, Louisiana to Leslie and Ganald Eastman.  He is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Elinor Simms and husband Hank and brother Philip Eastman.  He is also preceded in passing by his first wife Jeanne Tyrrell Eastman.  He is survived by his son Ross Tyrrell Eastman and wife Laura; their children Ross Tyrrell Eastman Jr. and wife Bess and daughter Alexandra Leigh Eastman; his sister Peggy Shultes, her daughter Margo Shultes Von Schlageter and husband Ray and daughter Mitzi Marquez and husband Francisco; nephews Kevin and Frank Simms and their families; and nieces Stephanie and Shannon Simms.  He had lifelong affection for his surviving Tyrrell relatives as well which include Lynne Campbell Bonham and husband Bill; nephew William J. Campbell, wife Diane and their children William Jr. and wife Nicole, and Andrew; nephew Bryan C. Campbell, wife Donna and their children Caroline, Ford and Ellen; niece Cathy Brock and husband Gary; nephew Cary Gathright, wife Cheryl and sons Brent and wife Lisa, Ty and wife Amanda and their families; niece Grayson Gathright Royer and daughters Sierra and Savannah and their families.

He is also survived by his loving wife Kay who cared for him so dearly until such time as God asked for him; her daughter Lynn Ann Willis and husband Greg and their children Lee and Annie and their families; daughter Genie Cook and her children Carson and Lilly.

Frank grew up in numerous oil towns as his father worked as a land man for Phillips Petroleum.  He took up golf at the age of seven and sharpened his skills at the Oklahoma City Country Club along with a lifelong love of swimming.  He left home at age 16 to attend Texas A&M University for two years before entering the U. S. Navy during WW II proceeding to San Diego, Chicago, Corpus Christi and St. Louis as a radar technician until the war’s end.  He then enrolled at the University of Colorado and completed his degree in electrical engineering.  He pledged Phi Delta Theta fraternity and spun records to earn extra dollars during his time in Boulder.  This also brought about his attraction to snow skiing which he pursued with passion for many years with his good friend Bob Blakeney.  Frank both swam and played golf competitively and even qualified one year for the Oklahoma State Amateur, bowing out in the first round to a future Walker Cup player.

After school he began his multi-year employment with Schlumberger spending time in the Gulf Coast oil fields around Liberty and Wharton, Texas and beyond.  After being moved to Houston, he met his future wife Jeanne Ross Tyrrell during a set-up date to the Petroleum Club.  They later married in January of 1960 and then began a series of moves to Houma, La., Monroe, La. and Natchez, MS for the company.  During this period (1962) his son Ross was born.  Not wanting to move again to a much larger city (which he never liked) he left the company and moved the family to Waco, TX and began a roughly 11-year stint making many lifelong friends and raising their son.  He opened an A-to-Z Equipment Rental franchise (later changed to Action Rental Center, Inc.) which he grew until selling the business in the 1980s.  He continued his love for golf at the Ridgewood Country Club while rekindling his enjoyment of fishing and boating on Lake Waco.  He enjoyed the dove hunts at the ranch in Purmela, TX and also the winter deer hunts in Sonora.  July 4^th boating congregations on the lake with their many Waco friends was an annual rite of passage.

Never one to shy away from the dinner table, Frank was an avid cook and excelled at those recipes not meant for the healthy-only eaters.  Specialties included Eggs Eastman, SOS, sautéed doves with cream gravy and biscuits, corned beef hash with eggs, etc.

In June of 1980, the family moved to Beaumont, TX where he took on an assignment to work with Tyrrell Family Interests and his father-in-law, William C. (Bill) Tyrrell, Jr.  This brought him back to the oil and gas business while also helping manage their local farming and other assets.  He loved his time and association with the Tyrrells, and especially the time spent with Jeanne’s two sisters Lynne Campbell and her husband Cliff of Houston and Frances Gathright and husband Kent of Tulsa, OK.  This included trips to Mauna Kea, Hawaii and the annual Tyrrell gatherings in both Lakeway and also Colorado Springs at the Garden of the Gods Club and Kissing Camels Country Club, of which he was a member.  Working for this family also led him to Ft. Stockton, Texas and many years of hunting the speedy blue quail.  Each Thanksgiving, the group hunted by day and watched the UT-A&M game at a small motel eating turkey and dressing and toasting the family unit.

Sometime in this era he began a love of photography and was always the one with a camera on vacations, family functions and the like earning him the nickname “Mr. Nikon.”  Visitors to his home office in Beaumont would be offered the chance to see a wall full of volumes of trip photos that bring back fond memories of great trips and times spent.

Frank was very active in St. Mark’s Episcopal Church being a board member of the Foundation there for many years.  He was a lifelong Rotarian and member of the local Rotary Club of Beaumont and past member and officer of the downtown Beaumont Club.  He was also a past Board member of Texas Commerce Bank – Beaumont.  He continued his golfing prowess as a member at the Beaumont Country Club and made countless friendships with his group, “The Mob”, which have lasted until this day.  He also shot his age numerous times, the last being a 73 in 2001.

He garnered much excitement watching his son marry and begin a family of his own.  He always gushed with pride at the achievements of his grandchildren and their successes in life while striving to excel.  He was never more proud than the day both Ross Jr. and Alex graduated college and began their employment journeys away from home.

After Jeanne’s passing, he was greatly blessed with meeting Kay Slaton Sells and then marrying in 2004.  Kay brought great joy to the rest of his life along with her two daughters and their families.  Their fun times included numerous cruises overseas, car trips across the South and summer trips to Branson, Missouri to enjoy restful times on Table Rock Lake and the great entertainment and shows in town; their term was a “Hurrication” which was their attempt to get away from coming storms in southeast Texas!  Kay’s family’s annual 4^th of July week vacation in Bolivar Beach was especially fun for him as he saw all their crew congregate and reminisce.

He was known to attempt to conquer the daily crossword puzzle and Jumble in the local newspaper.  He was also an avid map and atlas reader and never was at a loss to suggest others use them instead of their phones for travel information.  He also was well known for his Christmas thank you notes written in poetic prose and even spent time over the last fifteen years penning a personal autobiography, “I Played the Cards Dealt Me” so his family could recant his numerous exploits.

Memorial contributions may be directed to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Foundation, 680 Calder Avenue, Beaumont, Texas 77701, or the charity of your choice.

The family would like to thank Frank’s wonderful caregivers along his journey:  Carmen Maldonado, Christie Lowrance, PA, Pete St. Clair and Best Hospice of Beaumont.

A memorial service for Mr. Eastman will be held 2:00 p.m., Saturday, August 28, 2021, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 680 Calder Avenue in Beaumont, under the direction of Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont.

Please observe social distancing guidelines.