Beloved husband of Marie, dear father of Stephen, Thomas (Kay), Suzanne Krebsbach (Paul), Richard (Janet) and Mary Jo Cagle (Chris); loving grandfather of Sara, Stephanie, Joseph, David, Theresa, Jessica, Andrew, Daniel, James, Jenny, Amanda, Briana, Christopher, Alina, Nelson and Weston and great-grandfather of twelve, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones on December 7, 2017. Frank was a US Air Force WW II Veteran and long-time resident of Farmington Hills, MI. The youngest of three children of Francis J. and Enid L. Benesh, he was born and raised in Menominee, Michigan. He graduated from The University of Michigan in 1950. While there, he met his wife Marie, who captured his attention and his heart with a speech about caring for lambs on her family farm. They were married in 1951 after Frank returned from studies in Paris. Born Francis George Benesh, he changed his name to Frank as he began a long and successful career in radio, television news and communications. His career started at WKZO radio in Kalamazoo and WNEM TV in Bay City before positions as news broadcaster at WJRT in Flint and News Director at WXYZ in Detroit. He then worked for twenty years at Ford Motor Company, finishing his career as Director of Ford Communications Network, overseeing the installation and operation of satellite communication systems in the US and England. During this time, Frank and Marie had the pleasure of living in Shenfield, England for two years. While in semi-retirement from Ford, he returned to his alma mater to teach classes in TV news production to graduate students at The University of Michigan. Flying and photography were Frank’s passions. He was a P-51 pilot during WW II and held a private pilot’s license for 40 years, enjoying the skies above Michigan, following the adage “There are old pilots and bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots.” He was an avid photographer who captured countless photos of family, nature and his travels to The Czech Republic, China, Russia, Brazil, Iran, Viet Nam, Finland, Germany, France and other countries. He made several trips to Appalachia with the St. Fabian Church Youth Group to serve as their photographer and videographer and enjoyed filming the group’s musical performances at church Frank was also a life-long ham radio operator, and member of the ARRL, conversing with other ham radio buffs around the globe under the call sign K8IFH. He enjoyed learning from and being a part of technological change. During the 1950’s and ‘60’s he became skilled at building his own radios and televisions from kits. In the late 1970’s and ‘80’s he jumped at the opportunity to learn and implement micro-computers into his work at Ford and later, embraced digital photography and digital video editing in the ‘90’s. He communicated with morse code in the 1940’s and the internet in his final years, and enjoyed every technological step in between. In his free time, Frank enjoyed his weekly bridge games with family and friends, producing videos for the local cable network. He was always active within his church community, often serving as a lector and parish council member as well as photographing church activities for the parish. Frank Benesh was a devoted husband, a loving father and a sincere friend to many. His family loved him dearly. May his memory be eternal. Visitation is Sunday, December 10th from 2:00–8:00 PM with a Liturgy at 7:00 PM at McCabe Funeral Home, 31950 West 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hill, MI 48334. In-state 10:00 AM Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at St. Fabian Catholic Church, 32200 Twelve Mile Rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48334. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 AM. Committal service at 1:30 PM Wednesday, December 13, 2017, at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan. Memorial Contributions may be made in memory of Mr. Benesh to Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan (ww.ccsem.org).Frank Benesh
October 23, 1925 - December 7, 2017