Frank Felix Buck

Frank Felix Buck, 90, of Norton Shores passed away in the early morning on Sunday, January 30. He was born on July 9, 1931, in Jackson, Michigan. He follows his life-long partner and love, Marilyn Ann (Brown) Buck (1933-2020). Frank graduated from Michigan State University with a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Journalism. Service to others was evident in every facet of his life: Family, Career, Community, Church, and Country tied to his driving ideal. Frank was an enthusiastic and vocal fan of all things MSU-related and was a visible and active alumnus in the Muskegon area. Upon graduation from MSU, Frank joined the Army as an officer reaching the rank of First Lieutenant and was a Battalion S3 Operations Leader. He received the National Defense Service Medal while stationed in Alaska. Frank’s career working with GTE in their marketing and advertising department was long and rewarding. In addition, he was a member of AMBUCS and other professional and civic organizations. His career fit with his curious nature, and he enjoyed anything and everything technology-related. Frank later enjoyed connecting with long-lost family members using the internet, tracing his family’s ancestry to eastern Europe and the early 1800s. In service and dedication to the community, he was on the city council for eleven years (1968 to 1977) and served as mayor of Norton Shores for six of them. As mayor, he received an official Resolution of Appreciation for guiding the community through its time of significant growth and prosperity. As a master carpenter, he built everything from cabinets and grandfather clocks to jewelry boxes. Later this enjoyment of wood would see him turn to the hobby of carving. His humorous characters, fairy doors, hiking poles, and decorative relief patterns were shared with many people. None of his children will forget the annual flooding of the backyard each winter and the skating rink enjoyed by everyone in the neighborhood. Lastly, it was a rare family day off when Frank wasn’t fishing the big lake or up at the cottage fishing on Higgins Lake. He never got tired of talking about the big one that got away; however, he had the newspaper clipping about the sturgeon to prove it. Frank is survived by five beautiful and doting daughters. He kept close ties with his 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, rejoicing in their many accomplishments. He was always quick to laugh at their photos and videos of them growing up and reaching milestones, and he was even faster at sharing those with everyone around him. His family was all a blessing and filled his heart. Sharon (Mark) Kershner, Kristen (David) Freskos, Paige (Jordan) Bunn; Linda (Dan) Newton, Alyssa Newton, Mitch (Nicole) Newton; Carol (Tom) Munroe, Lauren (Donny) Ward, Reid Munroe, Tom Munroe Jr.; Leslie (Roger) DeYoung, Audrey DeYoung, Elizabeth DeYoung, Claire DeYoung, Evan DeYoung, Margaret Deyoung, Nicholas DeYoung; Lisa (Loren) Edwards, Larra Edwards. Three great-grandchildren: Henry and Grace Freskos and Leo Bunn. The family would like to give a sincere thank you to the many close friends and neighbors who cared and watched out for him. To celebrate his life, the family asks that lieu of flowers, donations be made to St. Francis de Sales Church Preservation Fund, 2929 McCracken St., Muskegon, MI 49441 or MSU Alumni Club of the Muskegon Lakeshore Area (https://muskegonspartans.com/donate-academic-scholarship-fund/). The funeral mass will be held on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at 11am. St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, Muskegon, Michigan.