Waterhouse, Franklin Bruce

Franklin Bruce Waterhouse, 67, of Shafter, Calif., formerly of Coggon, died Sept. 26, 2009, in Bakersfield, Calif.

At heart, Frank was a farmer, a teacher and a family man.

Franklin Bruce Waterhouse (Frank) was born July 15, 1942, at home on the family farm near Coggon, Iowa, to William Wesley Waterhouse and Helen Marie Havlik (Waterhouse). He started school in a one- room schoolhouse and rode his horse Mikey much of the time. As a boy Frank loved to do farm chores but did not enjoy milking the cows. He played baseball and roamed the woods in the same area that inspired the artwork of Grant Wood. He excelled at baseball in high school and college and pitched many college and semipro games. Frank declined an opportunity to further his baseball career in the major leagues to focus on building a stable livelihood for his young family.

Frank met the love of his life, Diane in Manchester, Iowa, in 1960. They married on March 24th, 1962, at the Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua, Iowa. After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa, Frank, Diane, and their two young sons Jeff and Rob moved to Steamboat Rock, Iowa, where Frank began his teaching career. Frank taught mathematics, business, and coached baseball and basketball. Some of his former students became lifelong friends. His love for farming led him to his summer job working in the hybrid seed corn business. His summer experience eventually led to a full-time career in the seed corn industry that lasted 10 years and culminated in the role of Iowa Regional Production Manager with Dekalb/Pfizer Genetics.

Frank's leadership abilities and expertise in crop production created the opportunity to move to California to apply his significant skills in the commercial rose business. In 1983 Frank, Diane, and youngest son Daniel moved to Shafter, Calif. Frank spent the next 20 years working for large rose growers in California, Oregon, and Arizona. He then established a rose business with Daniel in Wasco, Calif. For these last five years Frank felt the joy of true ownership of a rose business and loved the challenge of building the business from the ground up. Frank was very active in the business until his death and loved spending time in the fields.

In 2006 Frank was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood. He received a stem cell transplant at the City of Hope in Duarte, Calif., and was successfully in remission for nearly 2 years at the time of his death. He approached his battle with cancer with the same passion that shaped his life's successes: focus, determination and discipline. His untimely death from pneumonia was certainly associated with his weakened immune system; a result of his ongoing battle with cancer.

Many people will tell you that when Frank wanted to relax he worked just a little bit slower. He took great pleasure over the years in improving his homes, and the homes of his children. Frank could build or fix just about anything and stayed with a project until it achieved his mark of excellence, including the finishing of their cabinets at their home in Shafter, Calif. He was always available to listen, help, and pass out his wisdom to his children. He and Diane made numerous road-trips over the years, with their latest being a month long trip to the Midwest and East coast this summer visiting family and friends. Frank took great joy in spending time with his grandchildren, building deep memories-he was a great papa.

The loss of Frank leaves a huge void in the lives of his wife, children, extended family, friends and business associates. Frank touched the lives of others through his genuine selflessness, even during his own struggle. His strong but private faith gives surviving believers comfort that we will see him again.

Frank is survived by his wife of 47 years, Diane Lynn Thompson Waterhouse; three sons: Jeffery William Waterhouse of Charlotte, N.C., his wife Angela Hess Waterhouse and their three children, Danielle and her husband Dan Nuno, Lauren and Grant; Robert Bruce Waterhouse of Deerfield, Ill., his wife Colleen Kenny Waterhouse and their two children Victoria and Jacqueline; and Daniel Lynn Waterhouse, his wife Nancy Neufeld of Wasco, Calif., and their three children, Willem, Zebulon and Augustus.

Frank is also survived by his stepmother, Maureen Waterhouse of Central City, Iowa and two brothers and three sisters: Irene Waterhouse Lary of Muscatine, Doris Waterhouse Nordstrom of Central City, Bonnie Waterhouse Lingnofski of Menasha, Wis., Marvin Waterhouse of Manchester, and John Waterhouse of Iowa City.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, Oct. 1st, at 11 a.m. at the Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church, 400 Kern Street, Shafter, Calif. An alternate memorial service for those not able to join the immediate family in California will be held Oct. 1st, 1 p.m. at the United Church of Christ, 38 North 5th Street, Central City, Iowa

In lieu of flowers donations may be made in memory of Frank Waterhouse to: International Myeloma Foundation, 12650 Riverside Drive, Suite 206, North Hollywood, CA 91607   OR City of Hope 1500 East Duarte Road Duarte, CA 91010