Frank J. Klein

Frank John Klein was born to Mary Suspenzi and Frank John Klein Sr. on April 9th,1946, in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in the Bridgeport neighborhood. His family would later move to an area near the Midway Airport. He attended Fenwick High School, a private catholic college preparatory school in Oak Park, Illinois. Throughout his adolescence Frank was very active with the Boy Scouts of America where he achieved the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. During this time, he also learned how to be a fighter as a golden gloves boxer. Frank enlisted with the Naval Reserves at age 17. His service in the Navy was mostly spent as a navigator on submarines. He was put in danger when duty called for his sub to patrol the vicinity of Cuba during the Bay of Pigs crisis. 

After graduating from high school, he enrolled at the University of Northern Illinois and worked his way through college. He then married Sharon Malinowicz after graduating. Together they had two children - Mark Anthony Klein in 1970, and Robert J. Klein in 1974. By the time he was 25 years old, he had lost both of his parents. His younger brother Mark was only 14 years old when their father died, so Frank and Sharon brought him into their home. 

He taught history and civics at Revis High School in Burbank, Chicago until 1977. In addition to teaching Frank took on many professional ventures. He opened a pizzeria in Chicago, literally built his own home, and raised corn on an 80-acre farm in Plainfield, Illinois, and started a canoe business that took high school students into the boundary waters of Canada. 

In 1977, Frank and his family moved to Hotchkiss, Colorado where they bought and operated an apple orchard. During his time in Hotchkiss, Frank took many jobs to help supplement the orchard business. He was a substitute teacher, worked in Hawk’s Nest Coal mine (where he survived a train wreck accident), built a huge greenhouse, started a vegetable business, worked for the phone company as a draftsman, opened and managed a Radio Shack, and worked at the Delta Vocational School running their alternative secondary high school and teaching computer classes. 

Tragically he lost his oldest son Mark to a rafting accident in 1993 as a result of Mark heroically saving a rafter who fell into raging waters. He met his second wife Teresa at the Delta Vocational School. After they married, they moved to Brighton, Colorado where he obtained a position as the Assistant Superintendent of Technology in the local school district. Teresa had a son Brandon from her first marriage. Frank helped raise Brandon and would eventually adopt him when Teresa passed away in 1998. During his time working with the Brighton School District, he earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. 

In 2001, he moved to Pueblo, Colorado where he was the Assistant Superintendent of Technology for Pueblo School District 60 until he retired in 2007. In 2002, while selling pickle peel-off tickets at the Democratic Party’s weekly Bingo fundraiser, Frank was introduced to Dora Luz. On their first date he asked her to marry him. She said not to say that because he was scaring her, but Frank was persistent and a month later they were living together. It took five years for him to convince her to marry him. They had a very close partnership; they did everything together. Dora Luz was involved with many projects as a professor at CSU-Pueblo, and Frank was always there helping out. Whether it was hauling ballet folklorico costumes, or driving students out on road trips to other states for academic presentations. He was very active in the Pueblo community and belonged to many organizations like SRDA, The Greater Pueblo Chamber, the Latino Chamber, LULAC, and many more. He was a marksman who enjoyed his time at the shooting range, and he enjoyed spending time drinking coffee with friends. In recent years, he loved taking his loyal beagle Paco on morning walks around the neighborhood, and continued to read as much as he could. 

In a nutshell, Frank was an avid reader and history buff. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting and fishing. Frank was a family man and loved to spend time with his wife Dora Luz, her children and their grandchildren. He also cherished the visits from his son Robert and his family, as well as his brother Mark. Frank was a dreamer and risk taker in life. He truly made many of his dreams come true through hard work, grit, and determination. Above all, Frank loved to help others and had a positive influence on many people in his life. He inspired people to reach for their dreams and to never give up. 

He is survived by his wife Dr. Dora Luz Cobian-Klein,her son Enrique Moore, her daughter Jessica Moore-Muñoz, her husband Jason and their children Gabriel and Benjamin Of Pueblo, CO, Frank’s son Robert J. Klein, his wife Paula and their children Bridger and Phoebe of Fort Collins, his son Brandon and his children Leo and Apollo of Pueblo, CO, a brother Mark Klein of Chicago Il., his nephew Jon Klein and his wife Jamie and their daughter Lauder of Columbus WI, and his nephew Frank E. Klein and his wife Perin of Fruit, CO.

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