WAUKESHA - Geneva Lorraine Anderson Frank was born into eternal life Monday, Dec. 16, 2002, in Waukesha. She was 79.

Geneva was born Feb. 14, 1923, in Juneau County, one of 10 children born to Mabel (nee Olson) and Avery Anderson, and grew up in both Wales (the Lone Acre) and Waukesha. She attended the one-room Moriah School, Hadfield and Randall elementary schools and Waukesha High School. She also graduated from secretarial school and took college courses in her 40s, just for the fun of it. She retired from Godfrey Co. as an executive secretary in the personnel department. She also proudly recalled working for Dellcraft Corp., Goff’s Restaurant in Waukesha, and working in the machine area of the Waukesha Motor Co. during World War II, filling in for men who were called to war, her husband among them. Her proudest unpaid job was making sandwiches and baked goods for the vending machines at the Waukesha YMCA when her husband was executive director there.

In recent years, she made a second home in Mauston with her son, Jerry, and granddaughter, Anne. She especially enjoyed being back in Juneau County near her roots in Hustler, and also working at the Mauston Antique Mall, owned and operated by Jerry. She delighted in talking with all the customers and making friends with each one. She also loved to reminisce about the various items in the shop.

Geneva’s family, her home and her Norwegian heritage gave her the most pride. She loved to tell new acquaintances about her son and daughter who were teachers and her other son, a banker. She also delighted in talking about her four grandchildren who are either attending or have graduated from college. Her home was designed and built by Geneva and her husband, Hal Frank. Its unique design and breathtaking views were always the subject of comment. Through the years she worked tirelessly to maintain her home in perfect condition, and to have the loveliest and most weed-free vegetable garden, fruit trees and berry patches in the neighborhood. Her other love was baking, and she was famous for her chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies that she loved to share with her family. Lastly, she proudly displayed Norwegian items around her home and loved saying "Uff da!" She visited Norway once with her sister and niece, and called it her thrill of a lifetime. She also faithfully carried on her family tradition of a Scandinavian smorgasbord each Christmas Eve, complete with authentic homemade lefse and grot.

Geneva married Harold (Hal) R. Frank of Waukesha, and they had three children. Because Harold worked for the YMCA, they lived in Chicago, Wathena, Kan., and St. Joe, Mo., before moving back to Waukesha to care for his ailing mother. One of her favorite memories was of family camping at a YMCA in Minnesota, and she believed that influenced all of her children to become YMCA camp counselors through the years. Geneva also loved birds and would often go on bird banding hikes with Harold.

Her faith and her church were also primary in Geneva’s life. She was a devout member of the congregation at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church where she was a past president of the Rebecca Circle, past treasurer of the Sunday school and former member of the "kitchen crew."

Geneva was a sensitive and caring individual who always put others first in her life. Even when faced with the tragic personal losses of her husband and daughter and chronic health challenges, she put on a smile and hid her pain. She was fiercely independent, staunchly conservative and firmly convinced that a positive outlook in life was the best way to live. Geneva was always optimistic, incredibly alive and animated and always put her family first.

Geneva is survived by her beloved sons, Gerald P. Frank of Mauston and Martin H. Frank (Suzanne) of Waukesha. She was the loving and devoted grandmother of Anne, Chadd (Effie), Elizabeth and Brenton Frank. She will be sadly missed by her loving sisters, Viola (the late Joseph) Paulson of Waukesha, Avis (the late Jack) Bartelme of Oconomowoc, Kathleen (the late Tom) Hunt of Rochelle, Ill., Carol Stache of Minneapolis and Donna Pasternock of Wausau; and her loving brother, Lyle Anderson of Oak Creek. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Helen Frank Manning, and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

In addition to her parents, Geneva was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Harold R. Frank, on Dec. 30, 1974, and her beloved daughter, Susan Ann Frank Johnson (Rick), on May 1, 1983. Her brothers, Marvin, Keith and Leonard Anderson, also preceded her.

Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at Cesarz, Charapata & Zinnecker Funeral Home, 237 N. Moreland Blvd., Waukesha. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20, with visitation starting at 9:30 a.m. at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 300 Carroll St., Waukesha. The Rev. Rod Resheske will be officiating, along with Geneva’s niece, the Rev. Janet Hunt of Illinois. Interment will follow at Prairie Home Cemetery in Waukesha.

In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church or to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 2825 N. Mayfair Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226.

For more information, call Cesarz, Charapata & Zinnecker Funeral Home at 542-6609 or visit www.waukeshafuneralhome.com for online obituaries, directions or condolences.

(Freeman - Dec. 18, 2002)