Francis Stahl

Francis J. Stahl, age 89 passed away on July 5, 2015. Francis, Frank, Fritz, Curly, Dad, Popsie, Gramps or Grandpa, no matter what you called him you knew he was a great man. Frank was born on August 4, 1925 to his parents, Peter and Barbara Stahl in North Dakota. His family owned and operated a large farm in North Dakota before moving to Michigan. His family moved to Plymouth, Michigan when he was a young man. They lived in a house on Church Street, which is the current location of the Our Lady of Good Council Parish Rectory. After Frank turned eighteen, he was drafted into the army to fight for our country in WWII. During the Battle of the Buldge, he supported the troops by keeping the trains operating smoothly. Frank received several honors for his bravery and service. In 2008, he was presented with the Paul Harris Fellow award from the Rotary of Petoskey. When Frank returned home he married Barbara Gadsby and started a family. They raised their five children at their home in Garden City and then Plymouth, Michigan. Frank was one of the founding brothers of Stahl Manufacturing in Plymouth, which had operations in several states and Canada. He had a successful career with the company as an engineering and plant manager. Even though Frank did not have a formal college education, he had the innate talent and was an engineering genius. Engineers would regularly bring him their blue prints to examine them for issues and improvements. He was known by his colleagues as the “professor”. Marsha, his daughter, enjoyed worked along with her father at Stahl Manufacturing as his secretary for over 30 years. Frank loved vacationing with his family in Hessel and Beulah, Michigan. Fishing, sailing, boating and spending time outdoors were his some of his favorite cottage activities. While vacationing in Hessel, he would wake everyone up at 5:00 AM to fish for pike, go out again at 11:00 AM to fish for perch, and at 4:00 PM go back out to fish for pike again. Frank’s grandchildren loved visiting their Grandpa. Whether they were exploring in the woods around his house, playing with his handcrafted and antique toys, relaxing in the sauna and hot tub or jamming on his variety of instruments, a good time was always had by all. His grandkids also always knew where to find a sweet treat- in his cookie drawer in the kitchen. Frank was a devout Catholic. He was a member of the Our Lady of Good Council Parish in Plymouth, MI as well as the Holy Childhood of Jesus Parish in Harbor Springs, MI. Frank thoroughly enjoyed fishing, sailing/ boating, woodworking, stained glass and spending time outdoors. He was also very creative. Many of his family members proudly display his wood and glass creations in their homes, such as wooden boat shelves, birdhouses, and stained glass panels and ornaments. Frank’s recipe for a long life was a big bowl of ice cream, a few cookies and a glass of red wine each day. No matter if it was rain or shine he would always say it was a BEAUTIFUL day! Frank lived a long and fulfilling life. He was loved deeply by his family and friends and will be greatly missed. Francis is the devoted father of 5 children – Janis (Rocky) Spence, Marsha (Timothy) Ellis, Suzanne (Jim) Erhart, Steven (Kimberly) Stahl and Christopher (Diana) Stahl. He is the proud Grandfather of Dayna (Brandon) MacClaren, Brett Stahl, Savannah (Garnet) Henlin, Cora Stahl, Fritz Stahl, Alexandria York and Melissa York. Francis is also survived by his two loving siblings - sister, Ethylene Wilhelmi and brother, Vince Stahl. Funeral service Thursday, July 9th at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, 47650 N. Territorial Road, Plymouth from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the Funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. Mass will be officiated by the Reverend Father John Simoneau. Francis will be interred with Military Honors at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan on Tuesday, July 14, 2015 at 10:30a.m.