Frank Pond Reese

March 10, 1927 - April 6, 2022

FRANK POND REESE 1927 ~ 2022 “All of life is a dream walking, all of death is a going home.” ~Chinese Proverb~ Frank Pond Reese passed away peacefully April 6, 2022, at the age of 95 after longing many years for a heavenly reunion with his sweetheart. Born March 10, 1927 to Frank Woolf and Jennie Pond Reese, in Riverside, Cache Co., Utah (Now Benson). Pond was preceded in death by his wife, Catherine Lucile Bagley Reese; his parents; his sister, Roma Reese Hickenlooper; daughter, Diane Catherine Reese. Grandsons Conrad David and Marshall Kenneth Jensen, and son-in-law Mitchell Dee Sorensen. He is survived by nine children, Dale Frank Reese, Sandy, UT; Martha Reese Hull (Dan A. Hull), Salt Lake City, UT; Lucile Reese Jensen (Keith Victor Jensen), Tallahassee, FL; Elaine Reese Sorensen (Mitchell Dee Sorensen–deceased), Moore, ID; David Wayne Reese (Lori Diane McCabe Reese), Bixby, OK; SMSgt Richard Reese, Colorado Springs, CO. Colonel Steven Reese (Lizette Torres), Falls Church, VA; Ann Reese McMurtry (Lindsay Joseph McMurtry) Twin Falls, ID; and John Edward Reese, Salt Lake City, UT; forty-two grandchildren and over 75 great grandchildren. Frank grew up in the small town where he was born. The major work was dairy farming, so he spent his youth during the depression herding cows and helping with crops - mostly for feeding cows and horses as well as a few crops for sale such as wheat, corn, tomatoes, and sugar beets. They provided for themselves by growing their own vegetables, raising pigs, rabbits, chickens, and a few beef cattle. He was very patriotic and loved his country. At age 17, he decided to join the Navy as World War II was raging. On his 18th birthday, fully believing he would not return from the war alive, he signed and submitted his enlistment papers. He passed the required tests and was assigned to the Navy Air Corps to become a radio operator and machine gunner in the back seat of a Navy Dive Bomber (rear radioman-gunner). To his surprise he graduated from radio school as the Honor Man and was first sent to Cecil Field, FL and next to Moffett Field, CA for more training. To our good fortune he did not end up deployed forward as a machine gunner and was honorably discharged in 1946. After his release from the Navy, he resumed attending Utah State Agricultural College (USAC now USU) where he developed his writing and poetry talents as writer and editor of the college literary magazine ‘Scribble’. He also continued to use his ebullient personality as a USAC cheerleader where he increased his physical talents as a gymnast and thrilled his many peers and later his children with the ability to walk up and down stairs on his hands. Frank was an enthusiastic and faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and after a year in college he was called to serve a two-year mission in Manchester England where he relished sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and made many life-long friends. Upon completing his mission, he returned to USAC and continued his studies and extracurricular literary and cheerleading activities. On May 12, 1950 Frank Pond married Catherine Lucile Bagley Reese in the Salt Lake Temple. Pond (as he was called much of his life) and Catherine became parents to ten children. He cherished visits from his children and grandchildren of which he is immensely proud. Pond had only one class left to complete his degree when, in September 1952, he was recalled to active duty as an Army Reserve Quartermaster Corps officer in support of the Korean War. Pond and Catherine with their first child, Dale moved to Fort Lee in Virginia where they lived on Post. Again, to our good fortune, he did not deploy forward. Their second child, Martha, was born in the Post Hospital. However, they added 4 more children, Lucile, Diane (died at birth), Elaine, and David while living in Virginia. In Virginia Pond was called as a young Branch President for the Newport News Branch and was the first Bishop of the Newport News Ward in Virginia. Throughout his life he held many church callings. In June 1957, he completed his military service and in March 1960 moved his family to Salt Lake City, Utah where he and Catherine completed their family with four more children: Richard, Steven, Ann, and John. Shortly after moving to Utah, he was called as Bishop of the Butler 8th Ward/Butler Stake in Salt Lake City, UT and later served on the High Council in the Butler Stake. He also served in the Garden Park Ward Bishopric with Steven Tyler as Bishop. When released he was called to the Bonneville Stake High Council for many years. Other Church service was rendered as he taught Gospel Doctrine classes in several of the Wards he lived in. He also was a Nursery Leader – which he loved! In his later years he especially enjoyed officiating at the Salt Lake Temple. One of his greatest joys was sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others. As part of the Greatest Generation Frank had an un-ending work ethic. He had an independent and creatively brilliant mind which he applied to his many business adventures. An avid entrepreneur he used his engineering skills and innovative ideas starting with Hi-Baby (a before-its-time convertible high-chair, car seat, child chair/rocker and table set). His entrepreneurship expanded to Multi-View sign, purchase of Smith and Adams Tent and Awning, Reese Tipis and other business concerns which eventually took him overseas where he made business and personal connections in Korea and China. His “Chinese children” and friends brought great joy to his life. When the children were raised Frank and Catherine began motorcycling across the USA and Europe. They eventually founded the Temple Riders Association (TRA) https://tra.wildapricot.org/ which was officially organized in the Spring of 1988 with six couples. He had many treasured adventures with his dear friends in the TRA. TRA now has over 500 members with chapters in 17 states and chapters in other countries. Services will be held Friday, April 22nd at 12:00 noon at the Emerson Ward Chapel, 808 E Roosevelt Avenue, Salt Lake City, UT 84105 with visitation from 11 am to 11:40 am. Interment to follow at Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 17111 S Camp Williams Road, Bluffdale, Utah. Donations may be made in Franks Memory to the Humanitarian Aid Fund of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. https://philanthropies.churchofjesuschrist.org/humanitarian-services “We can’t fully appreciate joyful reunions later without tearful separations now. The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life. …Our limited perspective would be enlarged if we could witness the reunion on the other side of the veil, when doors of death open to those returning home.” ~President Russel M. Nelson~