Obituary of Frank Joseph Kozumplik

Frank J. Kozumplik Jr., 83, of Maitland and Summerfield, FL, died February 19, at his home in Summerfield. He was born near Milan, MI and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan in 1951, after serving for over a year as a Surgical Tech with the Army Air Corps near Osaka, Japan. Over his 35 years at Aeroquip Corporation (a manufacturer of fluid conveying and hydraulic products), he worked in both Customer Service and Development, was a Fluid Engineer and rose to Account Executive, working out of Chicago, Cleveland, and then Orlando with companies such as Caterpillar and Euclid/Terex (GM). He provided parts and information on farm equipment, trucks, buses, locomotives, aircraft, jet engines, and submarines, including the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus and the "20,000 Leagues under the Sea" ride at Disney World. He also served accounts in the Caribbean and S. America, and trained workers in Scotland, Venezuela, and Brazil. He was often recognized as a million-dollar salesman by Aeroquip. While working in Chicago, he purchased and learned to fly a Cessna 210, which he enjoyed for many years. After retirement, he worked part time for 10 years at the Walt Disney World store at the Orlando International Airport, where he enjoyed meeting international travelers (and free airport parking during his frequent trips). As a proud first-generation Czech-American, Frank often traveled across the US or to the Czech Republic for ethnic events and to visit with family and friends. He was completely devoted to Lionism in Ohio and Florida, and attended several International Conventions. He served the Florida Lions Camp for the Visually Handicapped for over 25 years, including as President (1983-84). He held offices in the Conklin Center for Multihandicapped Blind, the North Florida Lions Eye Bank, and the Lions Sight Clinic of Central Florida, and thus received some of Lionism's highest awards. He especially enjoyed helping at the Lion's annual Spaghetti Dinner at Lake Sybelia Elementary School in Maitland. He enjoyed guiding blind skiers at Ski For Light for many years. Frank's interests included flying, skiing, clarinet and saxophone, languages and travel, photography, and Czech music. He is survived by a daughter, Kris/Erica (Owen) McCaul and two grandchildren, Patricia and Ian McCaul, all of Tallahassee; brother Joseph (Nancy) Kozumplik of Freeland, MI; and nephews John and Tom (An-Lin) Kozumplik. He was preceded in death by his parents and an infant son, Edward Robert. Memorial contributions in Frank's name may be made to: Florida Lions Camp at www.lionscampfl.org 2819 Tiger Lake Rd. Lake Wales, FL 33898; Ski For Light, Inc. at www.sfl.org 1455 W. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55408; Detroit Sokol at Donations c/o Bea Sikora, 1510 Deer Run, Union City, MI 49094; or any other cause dear to Frank. Burial will be at Marble Park Cemetary in Milan, MI at 1:00pm on Saturday, June 12, with a Memorial Service at the American Legion Hall, 44 Wabash St., Milan at 2:00pm. Online remembrances may be expressed at Hiers-baxley.com.