Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Franklin Arthur Nusser was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Harriet and Art Nusser in 1920. His father worked in the Park system and he was a boxer, while his mother worked in housekeeping. Frank was independent and a hard worker from a young age. During the summers starting at the age of 16, Frank hopped trains out west to California, Washington and Idaho to pick crops. He'd make money picking fruit and took his earnings home to help his family. Frank also became a member of California Conservation Camps and worked on road construction.

In 1939 at the age of 19, Frank voluntarily joined the United States Navy. He made $25 a week in the Navy. He kept $5 and always sent $20 home to his parents to help with expenses. Frank served on the infamous Carrier, the USS Enterprise, which is the most decorated ship in the world and fought in some of the greatest naval battles in the history of the United States. His work on the Enterprise focused on fixing the plane engines. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, the Enterprise fought the high seas, but it was one of the only Carriers to get planes launched to protect the naval base. Frank was a part of history as the Enterprise arrived the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and went on to sink a Japanese submarine on December 10th, 1941.

While home on leave from the Navy, Frank attended a USO dance in Los Alamitos where he met his future wife, Dorothy. They were both good dancers and they had a lot in common. The couple started dating and kept in touch during Frank's tour of duty. In 1945, during a brief leave, Dorothy and Frank married in a lovely church wedding ceremony. The next year, the couple welcomed their first son and named him Frank Jr. Frank Sr. finished his service in December 1946 and then returned home where he joined the Naval Reserves. He remained in the Reserves for the next 18 years and rose to the rank of Chief. Every year, he served two weeks plus one weekend each month in the Reserves. His federal service amounted to 21 years, 8 months and 20 days. Frank was patriotic and he was proud of his service to the United States of America.

In 1946, Frank joined American Airlines where he worked for the next 39 years. He started as a Mechanic and worked his way up to Flight Engineer. He attended flight school, but decided against becoming a pilot. He eventually earned his commercial license, but he enjoyed being a Flight Engineer as he was traveling all over the world as part of the crew. He absolutely loved his work.

Five years separated the birth of Frank Jr. and the birth of their second son, Rick. Frank Sr. was a great father and he was a hero to the boys. While he worked 12 to 15 days every month flying, he always came home with incredible stories and many items of memorabilia from his travels. Inspired by his work and travels, building model planes, boats, ships and aircraft carriers was a family affair, as Dorothy even helped on the rigging of the pirate ships. The entire family gathered around the dining room table to work on the models. Frank Sr. was very involved and taught the boys how to play baseball and boxing. Rick was hammering nails on the roof with his dad at the age of four.

The whole family got in on the incredible travels. They'd fly to Boston or Philadelphia for a few days. In Boston, the family took the Paul Revere Bus Tour and visited Plymouth Rock. When they made a stop in town, Frank Sr. was nowhere to be found. Eventually, he showed up with six dozen donuts for everyone on the bus. He was a giving man who loved to surprise people and make them smile. There were whirlwind tours to Washington D.C. visiting the Washington Monument, the FBI Building, and the Smithsonian. Frank Sr. was a fast walker and energetic on walking tours, taking in so much history in a few days. There were also many trips for Dorothy and Frank Sr. as they had a great relationship and loved spending time with each other. At home, they went to the movies and dinners together. Frank Sr. was a very loving husband.

Every Sunday the family attended services at The Church of Christ and in the evening, the family had dinner with Dorothy's parents. Frank Sr. loved coming home for the holidays to visit with his immediate family, aunts, uncles and nephews. When he was a child, he remembered shopping for a tree on Christmas Eve and taking the last scrawny tree left on the lot. So, as an adult, he loved having a real tree, putting lights on it, decorating it, and setting up a train to run around the bottom of the tree. Sometimes he had to leave on a flight on Christmas Eve, but the family understood that this was his work.

There were perks in his work as well. Frank Sr. loved that his travel and travel for his family didn't cost him anything. He'd joke to friends that he was going to Europe and it would cost him only $12. Of course, the family had to wait for seats to become available for each flight. If they were delayed for a few days, they sometimes got first class seats and there were rules. If you were an employee or a dependent, you had to dress up in a coat and tie. If you weren't dressed appropriately, you weren't given a seat.

In 1964, he purchased their home in Garden Grove and that spring, he put a swimming pool in the backyard. Frank Sr. taught nearly every kid in the neighborhood to swim. When the boys came home from the beach, there were six neighborhood kids in the pool. He loved swimming in that pool and always remained active. On December 28, 1970, Frank Sr. hit a hole in one, on the 12th hole, at the Green River Golf Club. He used a Lee Trevino golf ball, which was framed in a special trophy. He loved golf. In fact, he golfed into his late 70s and liked watching golf tournaments on TV.

He officially retired in 1985, but he didn't rest on his laurels. Instead, Dorothy and Frank Sr. traveled and went on cruises around the world. Over the years, the couple visited 55 countries and enjoyed 44 cruises. To celebrate their anniversaries, the couple shared wonderful dinners. For their 50th wedding anniversary, the family held a big celebration at the Shoreline Yacht Club in Long Beach and it was so much fun. The couple even danced at that party.

Frank Sr. had many favorites in life. He loved taking part in community service and was a member of the Masons for more than 50 years. He enjoyed music of the 40s and 50s, Big Band music, Lawrence Welk and religious hymns. He loved taking Dorothy to the Palladium to dance. The couple also danced on cruises over the years. They oftentimes sat at the Captain's table on those cruises. He loved eating lobster and enjoyed having one drink of Jack Daniels in the evening. He liked reading Clive Cussler books and he was a voracious reader of Westerns. He was also a history buff who loved visiting museums and collected stamps from around the world. He enjoyed giving treats of dog biscuits to dogs all over the neighborhood. He became well known by the pets who led their owners to his door. Dogs never wanted to leave his side.

With a green thumb, Frank Sr. was well-known in the neighborhood for growing tomatoes. In fact, he'd give away bags of tomatoes to neighbors and every tomato was hearty and perfect. He loved to play Cribbage and especially Pinochle. The family had many rousing games of cutthroat Pinochle and lots of games of Cribbage over the years. He also loved to play Yahtzee with his grandson, Grant. Known as "Grandpa," he was wonderful with his grandchildren. He taught them how to play Pinochle, he played basketball with them and he loved the babies. He'd crawl down on the floor and get on their eye level to talk to the babies.

At the age of 82, Frank Sr. wanted to visit the Beaches of Normandy and so he went by himself. He had read everything about it and wanted to see it in person and did exactly that. Since his service in the Navy, survivors of the USS Enterprise got together every two years to reminisce. In September 2007, Frank Sr. and Rick attended the Enterprise Reunion in San Antonio, Texas, and they had a great time as they traded stories. Wherever Frank Sr. went over the course of his life, people recognized his service to our country. When the family was in Nashville to visit the Andrew Jackson House, they were waiting in line. Frank Sr. was wearing his USS Enterprise hat and there was a huge guy with tattoos standing in front of them. Frank Sr. also had a tattoo of a horse on his arm so he tapped the guy on the shoulder. The guy turned around and looked at him and then saw his hat. He asked, "Sir, were you on the Enterprise during World War II?" Frank Sr. answered, "Yes, all five years." And, the man said, "I'd like to shake your hand. You're one of our true war heroes." Everywhere Frank Sr. went he drew attention and strangers thanked him for his service.

Recently, Frank Sr. was hanging from the diving board in the swimming pool and said, "I never thought I'd live this long. I've got all my parts and they all work and I feel great!" He always had gratitude for his life, his family and his work. Family and travel were the best things in his life. He loved being home with his family and he loved going to work.

Over the last three years, Frank Sr. told his family "I love you," more often, but you always knew you were loved. His final days were spent at home because he told his family, "I want to die at home." He didn't want to be anywhere else but home and his family honored his wishes. The family will miss Frank Sr.'s presence. Dorothy will remember the good, loving marriage that they shared together. Frank Jr. and Rick will miss making their own good times together and playing Pinochle with their dad for 50 years.

Frank Nusser Sr. will be laid to rest with his Naval Reserve Pin, his Wings from American Airlines, and his 50 year pin with the Masons. He will be remembered as a patriotic war hero, who proudly displayed the United States flag in front of his house every day. He was an independent man of strong character. A loving husband, he was also a wonderful father and grandfather. With strong beliefs in God and Heaven, the family believes they will be reunited with him some day. His advice to everyone now would be to do something you love because you have to do it for a long time.

He told his family, "When I got out of the Navy, I really wanted to have a family. Every day I prayed to God that he would take me to the woman of my dreams. Suddenly, I went to a dance and there was Dorothy and she was wonderful. I have had the most wonderful life. I got up every morning and did what I wanted to do. Don't worry about me, I've had a wonderful life…"

As Frank watched the Feed the Children program on TV often, memorial donations are welcome in his name to Feed the Children www.feedthechildren.org.

Frank was preceded in death by his brother Norman. He is loved and remembered by his wife Dorothy; son Frank Jr. and daughter-in-law Bonnie; son Rick and daughter-in-law Kathy; sister Dorothy; grandchildren Jason, Grant, Alex (Rachel), and Shane; step-grandchildren Eric and Nicole (Dean); great-grandchildren Logan and Cassidy; extended relatives and friends.