How does one describe a man’s life or his role in the family when he has lived the equivalent of four generations? My uncle was a model of both constancy and change. He was constant in his core values, yet he adapted to change like a fish swimming in a current. A life of 103 years brings many changes. 

Uncle Frank – as we knew him as children, and Uncle Zdenda – as we knew him in adulthood, was a man of unwavering ethics, keen intellect, and consistent values. When the circumstances of life were most uncertain and challenging, he remained true to his principles and found a path forward. He shepherded his family through new beginnings, raised my cousins Peter and Ellen, dealt with tragedy, traveled, and made music. The treasured hand puppet he carried to entertain children became faded and worn, but like my uncle, Ferda retained his essence.

Uncle Frank’s experiences of life under occupation, Nazi threats, and his wartime efforts to sabotage the enemy are all familiar parts of our family’s story. His bicycle escape with my aunt into the freedom of post-war Germany is a story of hope and courage. Like my parents, he and Aunt Marie started over in a new land where things were perhaps not quite as expected. The ice cream was sweeter, their education not entirely comparable, and the language at times challenging. They persisted. He loved the mountains and forests of his adopted land, soaking in the vastness and freedom they represented. My cousin Ellen once told me that he’d wake them on camping trips singing ‘Oh What a Beautiful Morning’. That was Uncle Frank – challenging, good humored, and singing.