Obituary: Frank Herman Vassallo

Frank Herman Vassallo, 101, of Chino Valley, Arizona, formerly of Danville, California passed away on Dec. 18, 2016, at a care home in Prescott.

He died of natural causes. Born April 20, 1915, in San Jose, California, the only son of Nicholas and Mabel Vassallo of San Jose, California. His childhood and early years as an adult were spent in San Jose, where he attended public and parochial schools. Born a naturally gifted artist, he attended San Jose State University where he majored in Art.

After college, he worked as a commercial artist and designer for a neon sign manufacturer in San Jose. He left that position to become a Nurseryman and eventually manager of the Sunset Nursery Company, a large plant growing nursery in Danville, California.

Frank met Dorothy Sandkuhle while attending college and they were married in 1937 and they had three children: Frances, Nicholas and Theresa. He was always involved in the community, serving as a volunteer fireman and merit badge counselor for the Boy Scouts and always willing to give a hand or to help out whenever he could.

He left the nursery business mid-life and returned to college to obtain a teaching degree. He started his new career in teaching in 1956 as an Arts and Crafts teacher at San Ramon Valley High School in Danville and continued on, eventually becoming a full time counselor and student advisor.

He retired in 1975 at age sixty, but after a couple of years and missing the interaction between colleague’s and students, he decided to return as a substitute and spent the next twenty-five years substituting at various high schools in the local school district, his favorite school being Del Amigo High in Danville.

In 2002, at age eighty-seven, Frank finally retired and along with his wife Dorothy, moved to Chino Valley, Arizona to live in a small cottage located on their son’s property. Frank was always pleasant, polite, and a very sociable person and always enjoyed meeting people and making new friends, and was very good at remembering the names of the people he met. He always conducted himself in a professional manner setting a good example for others. He was very knowledgeable and could discuss almost any subject or topic. Frank was a religious man and a good Catholic. His artistic talent was endless and included oil painting, sketching, jewelry making, gem stone faceting, doll making and repair, ceramics, weaving, and just about any other type of art or crafts project.

He enjoyed traveling to other parts of the country with wife Dorothy in their truck and camper. As a rock hound, he collected rocks and gem stones from many different parts of the country. He enjoyed spending leisure time with wife Dorothy and other family members at his weekend property on Bethel Island, California also enjoying fishing and boating. He enjoyed cooking and had the ability to create very tasty meals. In California, Frank and Dorothy always enjoyed growing and harvesting the fruits of a large vegetable garden. He was a loving and devoted husband for seventy-four years to the love of his life Dorothy, who passed away in 2011. He was a loving father to his three children and a loving grandfather to his eleven grandchildren. Frank was preceded in death by his only sister Edna Woehl; daughter Theresa Carr; and wife Dorothy.

Frank is survived by daughter Frances Sharp and her children: Deborah Sharp, Connie Sharp, Jonathon Sharp, and Julie Pounds; son Nicholas Vassallo and his children: Thea Vassallo, Frank Vassallo, Nicholas Vassallo, Jr., Elizabeth Guerrero, and Janie Boss; grandsons: Roger Williams and Andrew Williams; and many other relatives and great grandchildren to numerous to list. Dad, you enjoyed good health and lived a long and clean life filled with many accomplishments. You were a wonderful father and a good friend to many. You will be missed, but never forgotten. May you rest in peace in the comfort of heaven.

Services Entrusted to Chino Valley Funeral Home.

Information provided by survivors.


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