ROOKS, Frank - April 2, 1930 – November 3, 2022
Passed away peacefully, in his 93rd year, on Thursday, November 3, 2022.
Frank was a loving family man, a staunch minimalist.
Despite being a social introvert, he approached social and leadership challenges with wit and charm, and was loved by all who met him.
He was an avid reader, a writer and storyteller, and the collector and keeper of the Rooks and Blanchard family histories.
Frank focused on the things that mattered to himself and his family, and did not allow outside influences or social expectations to distract him.
He played tennis until he was 82, rode his bicycle regularly until he was 91, and played contract bridge with the skill of a Life Master until COVID-19 shut down his favourite bridge studios.
He taught himself to play the guitar in his 70s.
Through his actions, Frank taught his children that little money and few acquisitions are required for happiness. Although he was a talented manager, he turned down promotions in other cities because they would have disrupted his children's friendships and schooling, and his own networks of bridge and tennis partners.
Frank was predeceased by Eleanor (née Blanchard), his beloved wife of 62 years; and by his elder brother, Robert.
He is survived by his three children: Nancy Tinari (Keith Dunn), Alan Rooks (Sarah Kerr), and Mike Rooks (Pamela Chackeris); three beloved grandchildren: Abebe Tinari, and Daniel and Margo Rooks; Eleanor's sisters, Lila Tomlinson and Valene Ward and Valene's children and grandchildren; and his sister-in-law, Peggy Rooks and her children and grandchildren.
His mischievous sense of humour, his unwavering sense of right and wrong, and his many daily routines will be missed by all of his family.
Frank will be cremated, and a celebration of his life will be held on January 14, 2023, at noon, at the Church of St. Andrew, 2333 Victoria Park Avenue, in Scarborough.
Many thanks to the staff at The Donway Place Retirement Residence and Don Mills Seniors Apartments for their friendship, loving care, and compassion; and to his exceptional end-of-life caregivers at IntegraCare.
Memorial donations may be directed to the Christian Children's Fund or the United Way.