Obituary for Frank Koehler Jr.
Frank Edward Koehler, Jr. (Frankie)
7/16/50 – 6/27/22
Frankie Koehler passed away surrounded by family and friends at home on June 27th, 2022. He is preceded in death by his parents, Frank Edward Koehler and Georgie Elizabeth Koehler. He is survived by his brother William Koehler (Roanoke); his son Richard Koehler (Roanoke); his two grandchildren, Robert (Bo) and Ann Marie; their mother, Browning Frazier, his four-legged daughter, Cibie, and his long-time partner in life and love, Liz Burford.
Frankie graduated from Patrick Henry High School and attended Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, VA. Frankie fully admitted that schoolwork wasn’t his forte; however, he was blessed with an innate ability to fix things and/or make them better. You could say that he was born an engineer. These uncanny talents earned him the nickname MacGyver.
Frankie’s career began at Norfolk & Southern railroad, but he soon followed his dreams into real estate where he was mentored by long-time friend Chan Bolling of MKB Realtors. He then branched out into real estate development specializing in collegiate condominiums and student housing.
Frankie was a selfless man. He would help anyone in need in any way that he could. He once read a story about a young Roanoke girl with a debilitating illness who only wanted a color tv. He went right out and bought one and took it to her in person. He provided cars to those who needed transportation to a job, furnished apartments for others in need. “No” was not a word in Frankie Koehler’s vocabulary. He was always thinking of others before he thought of himself. Nothing made him happier than to see a friend succeed.
Frankie loved life and lived it fully. He developed his bucket list early and checked off all but one item on that list – skydiving – before his passing. He loved snow skiing, lived on a boat in Wrightsville Beach, drove cross-country in a van with a beautiful woman, owned a motorcycle, ziplined and so much more. He and Liz visited almost all of the Virginia wineries and visited the California wine country.
One of Frankie’s greatest passions was road racing at Virginia International Raceway. He loved his racing buddies and had his most fun flying around the track in his #18 Mustang. His proudest moment was guiding his son to the NASA National Championship at Mid-Ohio in 2008.
Aside from his incredible generosity and kindness, his friends will miss Frankie’s knack for storytelling. He lived such a fascinating life, and had so many stories to tell that he could entertain for hours. All who knew him wish they could listen to at least one more “true story”.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 9th at 3:00 PM at Oakey’s Downtown Chapel with Pastor Chuck Stanley officiating. Friends may visit with the family from 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM in the chapel.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Frankie’s memory to Good Samaritan Hospice, 2408 Electric Road, Roanoke, VA 24018 or GoodSam.care; or to Star City Greyhound Adoptions, 2907 Mount Pleasant Blvd., Roanoke, VA 24014 or starcitygreyhounds.org.
7/16/50 – 6/27/22
Frankie Koehler passed away surrounded by family and friends at home on June 27th, 2022. He is preceded in death by his parents, Frank Edward Koehler and Georgie Elizabeth Koehler. He is survived by his brother William Koehler (Roanoke); his son Richard Koehler (Roanoke); his two grandchildren, Robert (Bo) and Ann Marie; their mother, Browning Frazier, his four-legged daughter, Cibie, and his long-time partner in life and love, Liz Burford.
Frankie graduated from Patrick Henry High School and attended Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, VA. Frankie fully admitted that schoolwork wasn’t his forte; however, he was blessed with an innate ability to fix things and/or make them better. You could say that he was born an engineer. These uncanny talents earned him the nickname MacGyver.
Frankie’s career began at Norfolk & Southern railroad, but he soon followed his dreams into real estate where he was mentored by long-time friend Chan Bolling of MKB Realtors. He then branched out into real estate development specializing in collegiate condominiums and student housing.
Frankie was a selfless man. He would help anyone in need in any way that he could. He once read a story about a young Roanoke girl with a debilitating illness who only wanted a color tv. He went right out and bought one and took it to her in person. He provided cars to those who needed transportation to a job, furnished apartments for others in need. “No” was not a word in Frankie Koehler’s vocabulary. He was always thinking of others before he thought of himself. Nothing made him happier than to see a friend succeed.
Frankie loved life and lived it fully. He developed his bucket list early and checked off all but one item on that list – skydiving – before his passing. He loved snow skiing, lived on a boat in Wrightsville Beach, drove cross-country in a van with a beautiful woman, owned a motorcycle, ziplined and so much more. He and Liz visited almost all of the Virginia wineries and visited the California wine country.
One of Frankie’s greatest passions was road racing at Virginia International Raceway. He loved his racing buddies and had his most fun flying around the track in his #18 Mustang. His proudest moment was guiding his son to the NASA National Championship at Mid-Ohio in 2008.
Aside from his incredible generosity and kindness, his friends will miss Frankie’s knack for storytelling. He lived such a fascinating life, and had so many stories to tell that he could entertain for hours. All who knew him wish they could listen to at least one more “true story”.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 9th at 3:00 PM at Oakey’s Downtown Chapel with Pastor Chuck Stanley officiating. Friends may visit with the family from 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM in the chapel.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Frankie’s memory to Good Samaritan Hospice, 2408 Electric Road, Roanoke, VA 24018 or GoodSam.care; or to Star City Greyhound Adoptions, 2907 Mount Pleasant Blvd., Roanoke, VA 24014 or starcitygreyhounds.org.