HEBEL, Francis F. 1912-2004

HEBEL

Posted By: Diane M. Blanchard (email)
Date: 10/3/2005 at 07:18:26

Francis F. "Frank" Hebel, 92, Edina

Funeral services for Francis F. Hebel will be held 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, at the Church of St. Theodore in Albert Lea. The Rev. Robert Schneider will officiate. Interment will be in St. Theodore's Cemetery. Visitati on is 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home, and one hour prior to the services at the church.
Frank Hebel, farmer, and long time resident of Twin Lakes, died peaceful ly Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004, in Edina, Minn. He was 92. He died of heart failure after struggling for some time with pneumonia.
Friends and family would often hear Frank proudly state, "It all starts at the farm." Although he spent most of his life farming - at times as many as 1,000 acres and raising 10,000 chickens for sale - he also worked as a Mason City taxicab driver (early years), sold Aerovac insect exterminators, formed the Frank Hebel Real Estate Firm, and started the Hebel Farm Service, a fertilizer company. In addition, he was a Shaklee supervisor for over 25 years.
Integrity and honesty were the key words in his life. He was an ambitious hard worker and could have as many jobs going at one time as was necessary to make ends meet - hours didn't matter. He awakened his family for farm chores as early as 4 a.m. with a cheerful, "Are you up for all day ?" If the response to this question was anything less than enthusiastic, he would remind his kids to, "Keep Smiling!"
Frank Hebel instilled in his children the importance of love and loyalty to family. The love of his life was his beautiful wife, Helen. He never failed to remind his children that, "Mom is #1! But #2 ain't bad!"
He was a dedicated and remarkably involved volunteer. As a member of the school board for many years, a good school system for local children was extremely important to him. He was also a member of the board of the Farmers Home Administration, a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Elks, the Toastmasters Club, and the Albert Lea Board of Realtors. He also had a pilot's license.
Mr. Hebel was born on May 26, 1912, to Ferdinand Hebel and his wife, Helen (Yezek) Hebel in Manly, Iowa. Frank was the first-born of 10 children. He is preceded in death by his beloved and awesome wife of 54 years, Helen (Gavle) Hebel; one brother, Clem Hebel; four sisters: Gerturde Jennisch, Gladys Woldum, Rosalie Cornelius, and Genevieve Johnson; and by his great-granddaughter, Allison Elaine Graser.
He is survived by four daughters: Shirley Lindgren of Lutsen, Minn., Mary Jenkins (Mrs. Donald) of Tower, Minn., Virginia Perl of Pleasant Hill, Calif., and Phyllis Parker (Mrs. Richard) of Grand Marais, Minn.; two sons: Bruce Hebel and Lynn Hebel, both of Eagan, Minn.; 18 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; four sisters: Helen Scurlock of Daly City, Calif., Geraldine Grant of Manly, Iowa, Elaine Barsness of Lake Mills, Iowa, and Delores Mathahs of Manly, Iowa; and many nieces and nephews.
For those who knew him well, Frank is best remembered for his good sense of humor, and his ability to make people feel comfortable in his home. A Seagram & Seven, a cigarette, and good friends - life doesn't get much better than that! But at a certain point in the evening, before the hour got too late, Frank would stand up and candidly announce, "Well, it was good that you got to see me! I'm off to brush my tooth. You know where the bar is. Shut the lights off when you leave."
Well Frankie, we've shut off the lights. We love you. Keep smiling. Thursday, November 18, 2004 Albert Lea Tribune