Mitchell Erbis Frank

  Mitchell Erbis Frank, born March 3 1947 in Gothenburg, Nebraska, passed away at the age of 78 on March 28, 2025. He was the oldest of seven children and raised on the family farm until the age of 13 years old when his family moved to Arvada, Colorado. He attended and graduated from Arvada high school. Mitchell went on to receive a bachelors degree in Zoology and minor in Chemistry at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. He was drafted into the army and served in the Vietnam war.

  Once he was discharged from the Army he returned to Colorado, working as a carpenter while returning to college to get another degree in Botany, which he didn’t finish. He eventually got a job at Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant working his way up from janitor to team leader. In 1976 Mitchell met Laurie Clem during a white water rafting trip later marrying on March 26th 1977. Together they raised 5 children (3 boys 2 girls) in Westminster, Colorado spending much of their time encouraging their interests. Mitchell had coached soccer, baseball, and softball teams for of his children and some grandchildren, encouraging them to commit to being the reliable teammate and try their hardest through the course of the season. He enjoyed Denver’s sport teams but his passion was improving his home for his family and often had multiple home improvement projects going at the same time.

  In 1997 Mitchell and his family moved to Los Alamos, where he worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory until retiring. At home he experimented with small solar/electrical/welding projects, planted a comprehensive home garden growing a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and nuts. He also found time to help his children with their own home improvement projects, root for his grandchildren in their chosen sport and volunteer at Crossroads Bible Church.

  Mitchell had a servants heart for his family and community. Always willing to help wherever needed, always available by phone for a bit of wisdom or home improvement help. He was a very quiet man and when he spoke all were quiet to hear what he had to say. He was full of wisdom and common sense. His favorite things to do were to watch his children/ grandchildren play sports and root for them. Many neighbors were blessed by his willingness to serve them in their yards with his green thumb.

  Mitch was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Frank and Pearl Augusta Magnuson Frank and by his brother Philip Frank. Mitchell is survived by his brothers David, Randy, Scott and sisters Jody Roy and Stacey Frank, his wife Laurel, his daughters Jamie and Kathryn, his sons, Jonathan, Daniel, and Samuel, and his 16 grandchildren, Collin, Bethany, Mandie, Eoin, Emmeline, Grady, Ruairi, Maisie, Emmett, Aida, Toby, Tess, Elyse, Ned, Lucy, and Nathan.

  Memorial Service will be April 15, 2025, at 10:30am with luncheon to follow at Crossroads Bible Church in Los Alamos, NM.