Frank January Gaddis

Frank Gaddis, 88, of Beaumont passed away on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, peacefully in his sleep.  He was born in San Antonio, Texas on January 15, 1934.  His family later moved to Houston where he attended Lamar High School and met his wife, Carol. They married in 1955 before he left for basic training in Virginia.  They were soon stationed in the Panama Canal and Puerto Rico.

They moved back to Houston where Frank pursued an engineering degree at University of Houston and after graduation moved to Beaumont to set up home.  As their family grew, Frank designed and built their new home on the corner of Ivy and Westgate.  He later added a swimming pool and he and Carol cultivated the yard and gardens producing many flowers, vegetables and fruits over the years.  They made lifelong friends with their neighbors and celebrated many holidays and weekends with block parties.  His career as an Industrial Engineer spanned over 30 years while working for Dresser Ideco and NL Schaffer.

Upon retirement, Frank and Carol moved to Colmesneil, Texas and enjoyed the country life.  He again chose to build a home on 15 acres of land and stayed very busy working in his shop making beautiful crafts from wood as well as caring for the property. He could hunt off of his back porch and throw sticks for his beloved dogs, Chip and Hunter to fetch.  In 2011 they moved to Lumberton to be closer to their son and daughter in law but still craved the country.  Frank planted fruit trees and tomato plants as well as strawberries and blueberries.  They cultivated the woods behind their home and loved to see the birds, rabbits and other wildlife that would pass by.  He continued to create woodcrafts in his garage.

Frank and Carol visited the Panama Canal in 2016 and toured the areas they had lived in all those years ago. They traveled to many places including Chicago, Canada, Costa Rica, California, Hawaii, as well their beloved Texas Hill Country. Frank was a perfectionist, and any project he undertook was planned and scaled to detail. He was always available to help family and friends with any repairs around the house. Since Carol’s passing he designed and built Planter Boxes for the residents of Collier Park so that vegetables and flowers can be planted and tended.  He enjoyed playing Bingo and attending weekly Bible Study digging deeper in his understanding of the Bible.

Frank was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Carol; his parents, Orlyn and Nina Mae Gaddis; as well as his brothers and sisters Orlyn Jr, Howard, Grace, Nina and Ruth.

He is survived by his son and daughter in law, Tim and Sherrie of Beaumont; daughter, Teri from San Antonio; and daughter and son in law, Tracey and Felipe Cantu, from Austin.  He has a granddaughter, Katie Korte and her husband, Kevin; grandson, Tyler Gaddis and his wife Keeley; and grandson, Benjamin Cantu.  He also has two great granddaughters, Madeline Gaddis and Kamdyn Korte.

We would like to thank the staff at Collier Park for their compassion and concern.  We were not ready to say goodbye but know that he has joined Carol and is happy to be with her again.

Cremation arrangements for Mr. Gaddis were handled through Broussard’s Crematorium, under the direction of Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont. A Committal Service will take place at Forest Park Cemetery in Houston, Texas at a later date.

 In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Down Syndrome of Central Texas (DSACT) http://dsact.org