October 23, 2023 – On October 6, 2023, Joel David Frank was born into eternal life surrounded by his beloved family. Joel bravely battled an aggressive cancer for eight months. His courage and fortitude during this challenging time was an inspiration to us all.
Born on October 29, 1961, Joel had an amazing childhood in Jackson, WI where his family owned and operated Frank’s Tavern. He went on to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where he met the love of his life, Lisa.
Joel and Lisa cherished their 38 years of marriage together. Professionally, Joel had a successful career in executive recruiting and went on to establish his own firm. He was well known for his dedication and hard work on behalf of his clients.
In his free time, Joel enjoyed playing golf and fishing, hobbies he loved and excelled at. He was an avid sports fan and touched many lives as a youth sports coach. More than anything, Joel was someone who enjoyed celebrating life with family and friends.
Joel was preceded in death by his mother and father, Shirley and Delbert Frank. His legacy will live on through his devoted children, JD Frank (Taylor), Sam Frank, and Jordyn Amato (Michael), whom he was very proud of. Joel was an endearing Grandfather to George Frank and a brother to Tom Frank (Judy). He was blessed to have a wonderful mother and father in-law, Carol and Edwin Ullrich, along with his sister-in-law, Cindy Stenzel, brother-in-law, Mark Stenzel, and their children, Lauren and Cole Stenzel, his niece and nephew.
We would like to thank the team at the Aurora Vince Lombardi Cancer Center for the wonderful care they provided Joel. Special thanks to Dr. Adam Siegel and Deanna Ficke, NP.
Joel will be dearly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. Joel was an eternal optimist who always saw the brighter side of things even in the darkest of days. In the words of Joel, and Delbert before him, “Always Forward.”
A mass to honor and celebrate Joel’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, October 23, 2023, at St. Anthony on the Lake Catholic Church, Pewaukee, WI, with a visitation beforehand from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. After the ceremony, the family will host a gathering at The Legend at Merrill Hills from 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (www.netrf.org) whose mission is to raise funding to find more effective treatments for this rare cancer.
