Francis "Frank" George Halsey
September 30, 1950 - November 6, 2022

A beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle,and friend passed
away at his home with his loving family surrounding him on Sunday, November 6th.

Frank was born on September 30th, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois to Frank J and Winifred
(Sagehorn) Halsey. He was one of six siblings: Judy, Pauline (Bobbie), Winifred (Snuggy - a
nickname that Frank always used), Margaret (Peggy) and Patrick (Pat). During his early years,
the siblings endured much adversity and moved frequently around Illinois and Wisconsin.
Therefore, the siblings had forged a strong bond with one another and were always there for
each other. They were blessed to have one another throughout the years.The one thing that
stands out is the incredible strength each of them portrayed. Frank had also become the
"protector" of the family from a young age.

There were so many family events. A few standouts were the following: a party hosted by his
sister Bobbie (Pauline) where there was a fierce volleyball competition, his sister Judy was
famous for making the best Chop Suey that would cause one to eat so much it would come out
of their eyeballs and the infamous lake whereby the cousins were thrown in to learn how to
swim, his sister Winifred hosted many family reunions and Christmas parties in the latter years,
Peggy (sister) and Jim (brother-in-law) were determined to go boating in the large boat Frank
had purchased. Needless to say, this boating adventure never resulted in the family cruising the
river but rather getting stuck in a river bed and the "fun" of getting the boat unstuck. They all
share one very strong trait - a quick temper so "fun" was a polite way of saying "cover your ears
children". Pat hosted many New Year's Eve parties. In fact, there was one occasion where
Frank split his pants while showing off some of his fancy dance moves. Pat and Frank were
brothers with a strong "brotherly bond". There were many years of marriages,birth of their
children, each endured divorces, re-marriages, health issues, weightlifting, Canadian fishing
trips, Vegas trips, playing cards, tinkering with cars and working together in Frank's construction
business.There were so many wonderful memories and too many to list.

Frank was a self-taught mechanic, worked at Caterpillar for many years, started his own
construction company and then managed office buildings until his retirement. During the
recession in the 80's, needing to support his family he walked onto a jobsite and told the
foreman that he had worked construction before, his natural born talents allowed him the ability
to teach himself in various trades. He started his own construction company and was able to
help his family and others in need of work. He built his daughter's home and added some of his
own personal touches as a reminder of his labor of love.

Frank was always quick to help anyone in need. This was one of his most admirable and
redeeming qualities.He was a man of many words and few words. To elaborate, there are those
that truly understand that he had the gift of gab and would sometimes re-tell those same stories.
There were many times where Frank would leave his wife in the car while he would "run" in to
see a friend and hours later reappear. Yes - he could talk for hours. His children recall his ability
to climb mountains while barefoot in a snow storm to reach his school that was 6 miles away.

One time his father had insisted that he take him home in Kirkland. While a normal feat, this was
in the middle of one of the worst blizzards. As Frank stated, the road was completely blocked
with snow drifts and his father told him to keep going. After being rescued and returning to find
the car, it was barely visible because of the massive snow drifts. This must be where he
inherited the trait of driving through high flooded waters. A man of few words stems from his
inability to portray emotions to those closest to him. The first time his daughter recalls seeing
him cry was at his father's funeral when he was handed his father's flag from the military and
the second time was when he gave his daughter away at her wedding. When he came home
after staying in various hospitals and nursing homes, he said that he wished he had told his
children how proud he was of each of them and how much he loved them.It was a rare
occasion, to hear "I love you" from him but that made for the most memorable moments.

Frank met the love of his life, Diana, while cruising the strip in DeKalb. They endured my trials
and tribulations throughout the last 50 years of their marriage. They had three wonderful
children and instilled many traditions for years to come. Holidays are always a time to celebrate
with family. Trips to Marshall Field's and the Walnut Room, always putting up a Christmas Tree,
celebrating birthdays and important milestones. They celebrated their 25th anniversary with
family and friends at Dave and Linda's home.Looking at pictures from that day, show the love for
one another and admiration for the support received by their loved ones.They loved to host 4th
of July parties, Christmas Eve, poker parties, family reunions and even a wedding. There was
always laughter. The entire "Halsey" family knew how to laugh. Laughter truly is the best
medicine.

Frank was an avid Bears fan. He would often watch Bears games with his sister (Winifred). His
last birthday was extra special because he was able to watch the Bears with his wife, daughter,
brother (Pat), and sister (Winifred) all while his youngest grandchildren ran about.the house.
Although he was a White Sox fan, he did get to see the Chicago Cubs win a world series, White
Sox win a world series, Chicago Bulls win multiple championships, and the Chicago Blackhawks
win the Stanley Cup. Through and through a Chicago sports fan and loved to watch and play
sports. He was a baseball coach, part of bowling, golf and sportsman leagues. Unfortunately,
Frank endured many health issues which he fought through but didn't allow him to bowl or golf;
which is when he became a sportsman enthusiast. He won many awards for various sporting
events. His favorite was skeet shooting but truly loved all of the various shooting events. They
all became family to him. His bowling league usually included his brother and longtime friend
Bob but had many friends throughout the leagues.

There are so many people that he touched and so many crazy times had with family and
friends.The family encourages everyone to share a special memory or two.

Frank is preceded in death by his son Steven, his parents, his sisters Judy, Bobbie and Peggy;
as well as several aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews.

Frank is survived by his wife of 50 years, Diana Halsey, his children Vince (Kathy) Halsey, Janel
(Dave) Van Vlerah, Ashley (Mike) Halsey, sister Winifred (Aleid) Halsey, brother Patrick
(Shelley) Halsey, six grandchildren, and four great grandchildren, many, nieces and nephews.
His furry companion, Midnight, who stayed by his side throughout his illnesses.

The family would like to extend its gratitude for all of his caregivers through the years. There
were many; but there were those that took extra special care of him: Angie, Berna, Christine,
Dawn, Erica, Jadon and Miranda. As well as, Dr. Rakesh Patel, Dr. Nisar and Dr. Kazmi and all
of their amazing staff members. Furthermore; we would like to thank Charlie, Jason, Rob, Steve
Todd for visiting Frank in various facilities and never forgetting his family.

A prayer service will be held on Saturday, December 3rd at 1:00 pm at the Butala Funeral Home in Sycamore.  Following the service, a visitation will be from 1:30-3:30 PM at the funeral home,  with a celebration immediately following at the Sycamore Golf Course Clubhouse.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Halsey family; in care of Butala Funeral Home,
1405 DeKalb Avenue, Sycamore, IL 60178.

To sign the online guest book, go to www.butalafuneralhomes.com