Ralph Porter Frandsen passed away on December 6, 2019, at the age of 103, with an active mind and sense of humor to the end. Ralph was born on July 12, 1916, in Basalt, Idaho. He was the fifth of six children born to Earl Gregg and Mabel Porter Frandsen, and the only boy. His father, who sadly passed away when Ralph was only three, was ecstatic to get a son and called him JoyBoy.
Ralph genuinely loved people. He valued all friends and family and was always more interested in them than in himself, even in his last days. He and his eternal sweetheart, Marjorie Gadd Frandsen, who preceded him in death on June 13, 2012, are survived by their six children; David (Lena) Frandsen, Hal (JoAnne) Frandsen, Dennis (Wilma) Frandsen, Marilyn (Steven) Wilde, Sheryl/Candy (Dave) Hunter, and Gary (Laura) Frandsen; honorary son Ron Beach; 22 grandchildren; 53 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great-grandchildren.
He married Marjorie on May 26, 1939, in the Logan, Utah Temple. They valued their membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Ralph served a mission to the Pacific Northwest states and later one with Marge in the Liberty Park area of Salt Lake City. He served as an ordinance worker in the Salt Lake City Temple for 20 Years. He was president of the Sons of the Utah Pioneers for a while.
Ralph worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for 37 years, most of that time as a dispatcher. In the early years, he was a telegrapher, using Morse code. He and Marge loved to travel and saw many countries. They had a very small, underpowered motor home that they took on many vacations, driving very slowly and holding up strings of traffic, but making good memories.
Ralph was always cheerful and friendly. He would make friends with complete strangers wherever he went. He had a witty sense of humor. He was extremely intelligent and had an outstanding memory, keeping up with current events. He was very frugal, having lived through the Great Depression in his youth with a widowed mother. He always valued work and was a wonderful provider, husband, and father. He loved to play hide-and-seek with his grandkids and was a lot of fun. He still golfed at age 99 and bowled up to three months before his death.
His viewing will be held Friday, 20 December, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Sunset Gardens Mortuary, 1950 East, 10600 South, in Sandy, Utah. His funeral will be Saturday, 21 December, at 11:00 am, at the Parleys Fifth Ward church building, 2615 East Stringham Avenue (off 2100 South), in Salt Lake City. Guests are welcome to visit with the family before the funeral, from 9:30 to 10:40, at the church. Interment will be at the Sunset Gardens Cemetery, next to his sweetheart.
