My sister-in-law Sheri's dad passed away on May 31st. It was kinda sudden, he has had MRSA for a while which he got after a hip operation and just couldn't kick it, it finally got to his heart and there was nothing they could do but try to keep him comfortable. A week or so before he passed on, they were told he would have maybe 6 months so Sheri wasn't sure if she should come down from Idaho right away or not, she was so glad she did. Sheri got to Flag on Friday night and spent Sat and Sun at the hospital--even overnight so she was with him at the end and was so happy she decided to come when she did.
Having grown up in Flagstaff, I knew her dad well and I really loved him. He had this fabulous deep voice and he always had great stories to share. For example:
Once on a youth activity they planned for our ward, they took the kids and hiked rim to rim to rim in the Grand Canyon. My mom and her friend Betty hiked in flip flops. Ken and some of the other men thought this was a crazy choice but half way down when their feet were hot and sweaty and weighed down with their hiking boots, and they could hear the flip-flip-flip-flip of those flip flops, they thought maybe they weren't so crazy after all!! He said he'd never forget the sound of those flip flops flip-flip-flipping down the trail. (the sound he made to describe the flip-flip-flip was awesome!)
He also went on a fishing trip with my dad, my Uncle Bill, and Grant Holdsworth to Alaska. Grant and Uncle Bill had this cabin they had stayed at before and when they got there it was filthy, Grant and Uncle Bill didn't care, they just got out their gear and went fishing but my dad got out the pine sol and scrubbed that place top to bottom. Ken said he was very impressed with my dad's cleaning skills and was very happy he had come along because that cabin was scary!!!
His humor was great and he always made you feel important and cared for. We would go to his home often when we were in Flag to play and my kids called him Grandpa Frost just like their cousins did. He treated each child as if they were his own grandchildren and they loved going out to his house to see his horses, jump on his trampoline, ride the 4 wheeler around the loop of their home and play with the dog. My last memory of him is at the dinner table with Anika on his lap and Griffin on the other side of him, trying to eat but listening to those 2 kids talk his ears off and smiling and nodding and paying attention to what they said even though his dinner was getting cold.
He was a great man and will be deeply missed by my family. We were so blessed to know him.
Kenneth Frost Obituary
Kenneth McAllister Frost, 75, died on on May 31, 2009, surrounded by his cherished wife, Shirlyn, and their children. He was born Jan. 5, 1934, in Kanab, Utah.
He loved the red hills of Southern Utah and often stated that the K on Kanab's hillside was for "Ken." He was the sixth of seven children born to Denzil and Beulah Frost. He spent his childhood and young adult life in Kanab. When he was in kindergarten he met Shirlyn Judd. They grew up together and were childhood sweethearts. On Sept. 14, 1954, they were married in the LDS St. George (Utah) Temple.
Mr. and Mrs. Frost started their married life in Logan, Utah, where Mr. Frost attended Utah State University and earned an associates degree in accounting. After graduating, they moved to San Francisco, Calif., for a short time where Mr. Frost worked for Del Monte Foods. They decided quickly that city life was not for them and happily took a position with Kaibab Lumber Company in Flagstaff. Mr. Frost worked for Kaibab for six years and then decided to return to graduate school at Arizona State University where he received a master's degree in accounting. He became a Certified Public Accountant, returning to work in Flagstaff for the next 30 years.
Mr. Frost's career, however, was not the top of his priority list. Rather, his devotion to God, wife and children were the mark of his character. He was fun-loving, always quick with a clever reply. Laughter came naturally as did his salty-tongue; he was quick to correct but even quicker to forgive. Water fights, ball games, dancing with his wife, camping, hunting, fishing and boating were in abundance throughout his life.
He was active in many community organizations including Rotary and the Boy Scouts of America. He served as a Scoutmaster for many years and was awarded the prestigious Silver Beaver Award for his many years of devoted service. He was also instrumental in organizing and completing a restoration of Boy Scout Camp Raymond in the late 1980s. The primary focus of his life of service was The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where he served in many capacities including providing key leadership in the establishment of a local welfare farm for the church on North Highway 89 where they raised pinto beans in the early 1980s. After retiring from his accounting career, Mr. and Mrs. Frost served as full-time missionaries in Athens, Greece, for 18 months. They also served in the LDS Snowflake Temple in recent years.
Mr. Frost loved horses and people. He was quick to give away anything of his own to others in need. He had a particular sensitivity to the needs of those who were less fortunate than himself.
Mr. Frost is survived by his wife, Shirlyn; children Linda Seaman (Les), Susan Dutton (Tom), Mark Frost (Mary), Tom Frost (Karen), Rick Frost (Cathie), Nancy McGuire (Pernell), and Sheri Freer (Mike); 37 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; sisters LaPrele Taft and Anna Lou Reese; and many nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents Denzil and Beulah; sisters Harriet, Marie, Helen; and brother Mac.
