Born in McPherson, Kansas on December 4th 1921. He graduated from Larnard High school in 1939 and then moved to Garden City where his parents lived for the rest of their lives.

Frank had 2 years of college when the war broke out in 1941. He joined the US Navy on December 8th 1941. After boot camp in Chicago he sang in the Navy choir and attended Fire Control school at the Great Lakes training station. He graduated at the top of his class and was asked to remain as an instructor, but declined and was sent to the West Coast to be assigned. During this time at the Naval Station at Treasure Island he joined the “Fleet Camera Party” as a photographer.

During his time with the “Camera Party” he met his soon to be wife, Laberta Pettey, through a mutual friend from Kansas. They were married on September 12th, 1943, in a cemetery (Forest Lawn) at the Wee Kirk of the Heather chapel. They had 3 children. Anne, Elaine & Frank Jay.

Then he was transferred to Guadalcanal with the Aerial Photo Squadron V-D-1. His job as aerial photographer 2nd class was taking recon photos of the Japanese held islands. In 1947 he was reassigned to Photo school in Pensacola, Fla. After graduation he was promoted to 1st class Petty Officer, Photographer, and asked to remain at the school to teach photography. During this time at Pensacola he became a Master Mason.

Still being assigned to the Naval Air Force, he did a lot of flying as an aerial photographer instructor. He was flying an SNB 2 C’s (twin engine, twin tail aircraft). Then he was transferred along with 10 Photomasters to the Amphibian Forces. He was reassigned to the USS Blue Ridge, a command ship for the Amphibian Forces. They were based in Honolulu at Pearl Harbor. He worked on the Project of all recon photo of mainland Japan for the great invasion, which was soon to take place. He was then transferred to resume tracking photography at the Naval Photo School. Then in 1946 orders came for a few of the Photomates to go to Bikini to photograph the Bikini atom bomb experiment. His term was up at the end of 1947.

Approximately around 1952 he and Laberta joined a square dance class and really got hooked and square danced for the next 25 years. During that time they were members of several square dance clubs, also on the Board of A Square D (Associated Square Dancers), of which about 54 clubs were members with a total of 20,000 square dancers in SoCal. He was the association photographer, vice president and president of A Square D during 1967-68.

He and his family returned to Los Angeles until 1955 when they purchased a home in Buena Park, and have lived there since then. Around 1974 Frank took up Locksmithing and made it his vocation. He worked for Hughes Aircraft in Fullerton as their Locksmith and retired from there in January 89. He started his own part-time business as a mobile locksmith and was doing well with that.

Frank was always interested in magic since his teens. In 1984 he really got into the magic and he was a member of several clubs and associations, which included Society of American Magicians (SAM), International Magicians Society (IMS), Pacific Coast Association of Magicians (PCAM), and Orange County Magic Club (OCMC) of which he was a past Vice President. He loved magic.

His Masonic affiliations included - Blue Lodge, Golden Trowel #273, which he was a 50 year + member. He was a charter member of Santa Ana Scottish Rite, and the Al Malaikah Temple Shrine in LA. He held several appointed offices in the Scottish Rite, was director of the 4th Degree, assorted membership in the Shrine and Past President of his Shrine Club.

Frank passed away July 24, 2015. He is survived by his daughter Elaine Banman.