ForeverMissed
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We created this website in memory of our Mom, Marti Frankovich, 88 years old, born on August 17, 1934, and passed away on November 21, 2022.  Her love and spirit will be with us forever.  
November 22, 2023
November 22, 2023
We miss you Grandma. We love you! Been thinking about you these last couple days and still can’t believe that you’re gone. Watching Cats and eating chocolate cake♥️
November 21, 2023
November 21, 2023
Miss you Mom. We love you very much ❤️ We are toasting Irish Cream and enjoying your favorite chocolate cake in your honor today. 11/21/2023.
January 4, 2023
January 4, 2023
M A R T I

Memories – We have such sweet memories of Marti. Too many to list here. We loved sharing our special times together through photos. (See attached)

Amazing Woman – What an amazing woman! Homemaker, a good wife, caring mother raising 5 children, while working full time in professional positions, a nautical woman/first mate to Captain Tony and became an accomplished pianist well known throughout Kansas, Colorado and Utah. Marti also played several instruments including the drums and alto saxophone, in addition to piano.  Her true love was the piano. She was also excited to direct other musicians at recitals.

Retirement Life - Marti enjoyed retirement life making the most of each day. Marti and Tony instantly became our friends after meeting them at Lake Powell. They were our slip mate neighbors next to us in their Trojan Yacht. We really didn’t socialize too much until they purchased their 37’ Sea ray Yacht. We had many hours getting to know them on the aft deck of their new boat. We were so happy Marti and Tony decided to retire in St. George, Utah. Marti and I had good times together, going to the movies, brunch and dinners at the club, coffee in the mornings after a workout at their athletic facility, concerts, symphonies, anniversary parties, birthday parties and much more.  I’ll never forget the honor of being invited to Marti’s 80th birthday party. It was so much fun meeting the entire Frankovich family and hearing them tell stories about Marti.

Travel – Marti loved to travel. Whether it was a trip to Ixtapa Mexico, navigating the canals in France, seeing the penguins in the Antarctica or motor boating down the Shannon River in Ireland, she was ready to go on a moment’s notice. In 2016, we were fortunate to be invited to go to Ixtapa Mexico with them and stay at the Pacifica Resort. What a fun trip!

Incredible Biography – Marti has an incredible background. Just reading her Biography she wrote made me feel lucky to be her friend. From the days she was in Coats, Kansas to St. George, Utah it was always interesting to hear her stories of growing up, her music, becoming a schoolteacher and then a principal!! It’s an incredible document she made for her children.

I will miss Marti and her stories about their travel adventures and will miss her friendship. Much Love to the Frankovich Family. – Cindy and Rick Crosman -
December 13, 2022
December 13, 2022
I will always be grateful to Marti for hiring me to work at Lowell Elementary.
She was a great leader and friend who challenged me to pursue personal and professional goals. She had a unique way of focusing on the day you were on, and not to dwell on the past or look too far ahead of yourself. No stupid mistake was to be defining. She always had the view that each individual had the stuff to start again and do better...to make it right. I have often thought over the years," What would Marti say/do?" I have missed her. My regret today is that i did not tell her how much she meant to me.

My sincerest condolences to her family. It is hard to lose her. She lived this life fiercely, with love and kindness.
December 12, 2022
December 12, 2022
Marti was the principal at the school my mom, Susan Richardson worked at when I was deciding whether I too wanted to become a teacher. While she was a mentor to me in pedagogy, what I remember most is her smile and laugh and go get em spirit. I thought man she has so much energy and she so fun, I can do this! Thank you!
December 10, 2022
December 10, 2022
I am so saddened to hear of Marti's death. What a marvelous woman she was. I knew her in Westminster, Colo when she first met Tony. She was a fabulous teacher then and that was 1962. We stayed in touch all of these years and I always loved hearing about the family. Love to all of you and hopefully I will be able to see Kim soon.
With love,
Helen March
December 8, 2022
December 8, 2022
I have been blessed to have been one of Marti's closest friend for almost 30 years.  She was truly a most remarkable woman, educator, administrator, author, confidant, wife and mother. I miss her terribly but am comforted by the wonderful memories of the times we spent together. Dr. Seuss said it best. "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." May she rest in light and be at peace.
December 4, 2022
December 4, 2022
A woman with few if any detractors...mentor to many aspiring principals, including me, and an original who never let her small footprint detract from her larger-than-life aura. Marti never hesitated to let you know what she thought but did so in a way that never offended the person on the receiving end of her wisdom and wit. A wife and mother devoted to her talented family and caregiver to legions of educators throughout her career.
I am truly sorry to deliver my thoughts regarding Marti post life--I lost touch with her over time. I will never forget her kindness and skill in teaching me and so many, many others....Rest In Peace and may your family know how much so many of us admired Marti.
December 2, 2022
December 2, 2022
Friends since 1976. We shared similar childhood, similar careers, similar goals, similar likes and dislikes. We laughed at thi ngs and people, we enjoyed a drink, we had many lunches lasting 2 or more hours, truly a great friendship. My last visit to her was only three weeks before she died. She and I sat outside, under the sun,  she was energetic and positive ✨️. It took a virus to bring her down. I will always remember Marti as a great friend; always willing to listen and help. May angels sing a requiem for her. Bye, Marti!

November 30, 2022
November 30, 2022
Dear Marti.
My heart is broken. You were my mentor and good friend. You helped me become a principal. You helped me create North Star School. We went to lunch many times and you listened and gave me words of wisdom. I love you and know you are with the angels. Rest in eternal peace.

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Recent Tributes
November 22, 2023
November 22, 2023
We miss you Grandma. We love you! Been thinking about you these last couple days and still can’t believe that you’re gone. Watching Cats and eating chocolate cake♥️
November 21, 2023
November 21, 2023
Miss you Mom. We love you very much ❤️ We are toasting Irish Cream and enjoying your favorite chocolate cake in your honor today. 11/21/2023.
Her Life

Martha “Marti” Jean Frankovich 1934 ~ 2022

November 28, 2022
Marti Frankovich, age 88, passed away peacefully, with family at her side and the support of IHC Hospice and the caring nursing and doctors at St. George Regional Hospital in St. George, Utah on November 21, 2022. While Covid-19 Pneumonia took her from us, it was exacerbated by her ongoing fight with Primary Progressive Aphasia, a form of dementia which took her ability to speak but not think, or to win the speed racer award with her blue 3 wheeler walker, take up painting, enjoy visits from her family & friends, brighten everyone with her smile, harass the love of her life, Tony, husband of 59 years to eat, or tap her toes to music which was the heart and soul of her life.

Her Mother, Blanche Violet Plummer Lyman and Daddy, Dwight Arthur Lyman predeceased her.  Her husband, Tony; children and their spouses, Bruce (Sharon), Shannon, Mat (Mecell), Tony (Connie) and Kim; grandchildren Dana, Daniel, Anton, Victoria, Anthony IV; great grandchildren Brooklyn, Aria, Lily, Grayson, Brexton; sisters, brothers and their spouses, Kathryn (George), Helen (RIP Alan), Don (Judy) and Duane (Pat) and a number of nieces and nephews, will manage to carry on keeping the faith, raising a glass to ‘juice it up’, and tapping their toes to Marti’s favorite music until they join her again.

The family intends to have a celebration of her life and music in Salt Lake City, Spring 2023.  Marti’s final resting place will be with Tony when the time comes, in his home state of Pennsylvania. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests you consider a donation in Marti’s name to the National Aphasia Association (https://www.aphasia.org/donate/), Special Olympics (https://support.specialolympics.org), orFeeding America (https://give.feedingamerica.org). A special thank you to her speech therapist at St. George Medical Center and the staff at Southgate Senior Living, Alliance Home Health, her physical therapist and Home Helpers who helped care for Marti in the last few years. 

“The Early Days” Coats, Kansas & Colorado

November 28, 2022
Marti, born at her Grandma Plummer’s house in Coats, Kansas on August 17, 1934, developed her love of music around 3 years old, as she remembers and was told to her 4 siblings, 5 children, 5 grandchildren and 6 great children in two memoirs she wrote, ‘’88 Keys, an Alto Sax, and a Drum, Musical Memories from your Mom, Martha Lyman Frankovich” and The Lyman Sunflower Kids, Growing up in Coats, Kansas.” She started with banging her Mother’s cooking lids in the kitchen, advanced to stealing piano practice time from her sisters Kathryn and Helen as they did the dishes, to the snare drummer in the Coats Band, playing alto sax, endless piano lessons from Marie Brickel, and numerous piano recitals with her dear friend Marilyn Shriver. One of her most thrilling events before heading for Colorado Women’s College to earn an Associate Degree in Music, was with Elaine Lunt, playing a dual piano recital to 300 lucky attendees at the Pratt, Kansas Municipal Building in 1952.

Martha’s brothers, Don and Duane, were usually run out of the house when she was practicing the piano and were made to attend her recitals.  Her Dad ran off a number of boyfriends and other people over her teen years. She was a super sister when she lived in Denver and the brothers stayed with her while attending school or working.  She was a wonderful tour guide of Lake Powell and Utah when they visited the boat on vacation.

After Colorado Women’s College, Marti entered Denver University planning to major in music education. She ultimately majored in Education and minored in Music because she had to work when the courses required for a music major where offered, and as she said …”at that time in history, an educated women could do three things: become a nurse, a teacher or a secretary to some man.”

“Making the world a better place through education”

November 28, 2022
Marti spent the next 26 years (1961-1987) positively impacting thousands of children and all she met in elementary classrooms throughout Colorado, California and Utah. She taught all elementary grades except first and fourth and was the music director officially or unofficially in all schools she worked. This included four years as Salt Lake School District’s Elementary School Music Specialist where she was responsible for classroom music in all the elementary schools, co-developed, wrote and received her first of many grants for the fine arts program “Arts in Action” that produced art, drama, dance and music projects for the district. During this time, at the urging of her husband Tony, she received her Master of Education from Brigham Young University in 1979, and in 1981, received “Utah’s Outstanding Elementary Teacher” award from the Utah Music Educators Association.
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