Longtime South Union supervisor dies
In the summer of 2010, South Union Township Supervisor Thomas L. Frankhouser lost his wife of 53 years, Roberta, when she fell and struck her head resulting in her death.
Fellow township supervisor Rick Vernon said his friend of nearly four decades was never quite the same.
“He had a hard time of it after his wife died,” Vernon said. “He never got over it.”
On Saturday morning, Frankhouser, 79, died at Uniontown Hospital after being taken to the emergency room with breathing distress, Vernon said.
And while Vernon and others mourned the loss of their friend Saturday evening, they also remembered the strong legacy he left behind in South Union Township and the legacy he built among his friends and family.
“He was the kind of guy that would do for anyone,” Vernon said. “He is going to be missed terribly.”
Charles Lulich of South Union Township, who was a principal in the Laurel Highlands School District and most recently served on the South Union Township Sewage Authority, said that Frankhouser was more than a good leader, he was a friend.
“Tom was just a great guy and a square shooter,” Lulich said, noting that he was always working for the betterment of the community, regardless what the endeavor might have been.
Vernon said that Frankhouser was pleased in May when he won re-election and, although he was on oxygen nearly all the time, had not missed work until about a week before Thanksgiving.
“He was off for about a week. I talked to him. He went to the doctor because he was having trouble breathing. But I talked to him Wednesday and he was fine and then he and his family had dinner at the Stone House on Thanksgiving, but I guess he took a bad turn on Friday,” Vernon said, noting that Frankhouser died at the hospital around 2:15 a.m. Saturday.
Frankhouser, who first took office in 1978, served as the chairman of the township’s board of supervisors and campaigned in the May Primary Election on the strength of South Union’s economic development and the supervisor’s ability to hold the line on property taxes for several decades.
“I’m happy with the folks that came out to support me,” Frankhouser said after defeating Santino Guzzo in the Democratic primary. “Without them, it would not be possible to defend my position, continue with our economic development — the township is Fayette County’s number one employer.”
He also noted the strides that the township had made during his tenure, placing it in a position for continued growth and cited infrastructure development during that time, including water and sewer lines.
It was that championing of South Union Township development that made Frankhouser a bulwark in the local political infrastructure and a friend to his community.
“Honestly, he was like having an extra engineer with us all the time,” Vernon said. “He was here through all the zoning and rezoning and he knew everything about it. He was like having an encyclopedia on zoning.”
Vernon, who is serving his eighth year as a supervisor after working in the township for 24 years as a magisterial district judge, said that often his job came down to refereeing the disagreements between Frankhouser and longtime Supervisor Bob Schiffbauer, who served in that capacity for 34 of Frankhouser’s 35 years in office.
“They were always battling one another constantly, but at the end of the day they were like brothers,” Vernon said.
Schiffbauer could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Elaine Frantz, who, along with Frankhouser, worked as part of the Hopwood Village Project was saddened by the news and remembered Frankhouser fondly.
“Mr. Frankhouser was treasurer of the Hopwood Village Project for several years before I was asked to be secretary of the organization,” Frantz said.
“Anyone involved with the Hopwood Village project could quickly recognize his sincere dedication to the beautification of the Route 40 corridor in Hopwood. His wealth of knowledge and experiences were unmatched as the project revealed paved sidewalks, “Welcome to Hopwood” gateways, period lamp posts, benches, flower boxes, a community park-let and lighted Christmas wreathes — all reflecting his hometown pride. Hopwood area residents, as well as any passerby’s, can thank the tireless efforts of Mr. Frankhouser for the beautiful revival of the Village appearance. What a lovely legacy he leaves his community. Mr. Frankhouser will be sadly missed. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to know and work with such a fine gentleman.”
Vernon said that of all the projects Frankhouser worked to achieve, it won’t be the massive retail outlets or the miles of sewage and water lines that he will be remembered for, but the work on Route 40 in Hopwood.
“His pet project was the Hopwood corridor,” Vernon said. “He was passionate about it because it was his home. That light up night during the holidays each year along that corridor, that will always remind me of Tom.”
Vernon said the township has 30 days to appoint someone to serve the remainder of Frankhouser’s term, which expires in 2015.