Frank Stanko passed away peacefully from natural causes at the White Pine County Care Center on January 29, 2025.
In his 96 years of life, Frank was witness to an amazing time in our great American history. When asked his secret for living to old age, he would reply, “Well, growing old is not for the faint of heart. But really, I didn’t want to miss a moment of it!”
A native of Pueblo, Colorado, Frank was born December 6, 1928. Growing up in Pueblo, he was a good student and a natural-born athlete on the Central High School golf and football teams. His senior year, the Wildcats football team won the 1944 state championship.
Upon graduation, Frank was awarded an athletic scholarship to attend college but chose instead to defer the scholarship and enlist with the U.S. Navy, which was engaged in World War II (WWII).
After serving in the military, Frank went to college at Colorado State University (CSU), located in Fort Collins, Colorado. From 1948-51, Frank played the position of first-string defensive left end on the Colorado State Aggies (later renamed the Rams) football team.
In 1952, Frank received his bachelor’s degree in education, married his fellow college sweetheart, Betty Keating, and began his official teaching/coaching career, first as head coach of high school football and track at Craig, Colorado, followed by three years as head coach of football at Green River High School in Wyoming. In 1956, Frank received his master’s degree in guidance and counseling from CSU.
That same year, Frank was hired to serve as Dean of Men and Director of Placement at the Oregon Technical Institute (later renamed Oregon Institute of Technology) in Klamath Falls, Oregon. For 12 years, Frank was instrumental in helping OTI graduates obtain successful career placement opportunities.
In 1968, Frank was hired by Kennecott Copper Corporation (KCC) Nevada Mines Division to serve as head of Industrial Relations at the copper smelting plant, located in McGill, Nevada.
Frank and Betty moved their young family to McGill and immediately fell in love with White Pine County’s vibrant and friendly community atmosphere, and the beautiful desert and mountain landscape.
Two years after their arrival, his wife, Betty, gave birth to their last child, making Frank the dad of seven children (5 boys and 2 girls). Eventually, he was promoted to supervisor of plant safety and security and later served as crushing foreman. Frank always said that moving to White Pine was truly akin to moving home and happily lived there for the remainder of his 57 years.
When the KCC NV Mines division shut down smelting operations in 1983, Frank went to work as the guidance counselor and coordinator of special education for the White Pine County School District until his retirement in 1995. From the 1970’s through to his retirement, Frank also served on the board of the Western Nevada Community College.
An avid outdoorsman, Frank cherished spending time in the hills of White Pine County engaging in deer, antelope, and bird hunting, fishing, gathering firewood, and harvesting pine nuts. He loved to golf and was a long-time member of the White Pine County Golf Association.
Frank took great comfort in his faith and was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ely, the St. Michael’s Catholic Church in McGill, and the Knights of Columbus fraternal organization. Frank expressed often to his family and friends his gratitude to God for the gift of a wonderful lifetime of experiences.
Not long after Frank retired in 1995, his wife Betty passed away. Upon attending his 50th high school reunion in Pueblo, he and a fellow classmate, Patty Martin, became close. They married in 1997 and enjoyed many happy years together before Patty’s passing away in 2014.
Frank is preceded in death by his parents (Frank & Juanita), brother (Eugene), sister (Charlotte), first wife (Betty), second wife (Patty).
He is survived by his seven children: Frank (Dawn), Mary Therese Sattler (Mark), Mike (Paula), Steve (Patty), Mark (Kathy), Joe (Anya), Betty Ann Blodgett (Paul); nine grandchildren: David, Mark (Ali), Rachel (Ciaran), Chris (Jenny), Sarah (Trent), Stephen (Liz), Leo (Bonnie), Casey (Erin), and Sean; and great grandchildren: Britten, Audrey, Rylee, Cora, Lucas, Stella, Emily, Ida, Maddox, Brideen, Nuala, Reuben and Judah.
A celebration of life for Frank Stanko is scheduled for 10 a.m., Saturday, May 24, 2025 at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ely, Nevada, followed by a luncheon at St. Lawrence Hall. All are welcome to attend. A private family burial ceremony will follow at a later date.
The Stanko family would like to give thanks to the staff at the White Pine Care Center for showing outstanding kindness and taking special care of our Dad, Frank. He was a person who highly valued his independence and was able to live on his own in his home until he became too weak to do so the last few years before he died.
Getting to live in and be a part of a close-knit, small community like McGill was very important to Dad and something he cherished very much. The family would very much like to express to the community how extremely grateful Dad was to be able to live the independent and quality of life that was so important to him thanks to the care and concern of the great people of McGill.