Morley S. Frantzick

On Wednesday, December 9th 2020, Morley Spencer Frantzick, loving father and husband, peacefully passed away at the age of 79 with his family by his side. Morley was born on August 24, 1941 in Little Falls, MN to Spencer and Florence (Larsen) Frantzick. He grew up in Little Falls and graduated from Little Falls High School in 1959, and then went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota.  In January, 1974 he married Judith Richter. His love and commitment to her shone from the start, as she was a single mother when she met Morley at the Montgomery Wards in Blaine, MN. Their very first date was at the Perkins in nearby Anoka, where Judith’s one stipulation was that she would bring her son, Cory. Morley adopted Cory and treated him as his own son. A year later, Nathan was born and 3 years after that Mark was born. Nate, Mark, and Cory enjoyed an amazing childhood in Hastings, MN. Morley worked in the building products industry, and passed up numerous career advancements because they would take him on the road away from his beloved family. Morley and Judith were married for 33 years.

Known for his quick wit and the sparkle in his eye, Morley - Mo to some, Grandpa to many, and for those lucky enough, Dad - was an exceptional man. He always had time.  He was always happiest when surrounded by family.  He was not generally a talker, but more of a quiet reflective man, until he wasn’t!  Once he got going, you were sure to get every detail of whatever was being talked about!  He was a very peaceful man, slow to anger. However, if something bothered him, he was relentless in seeing it through to his satisfaction. He was not afraid to take on City Hall and win!

After Judith passed away in 2007,  Morley got a second chance at love with Diane Williams.  The two married on July 11, 2009. They enjoyed 11 years of marriage and together built their “dream home” they called “Willow Park” on beautiful Lake Amelia, near Glenwood. With a family-first mentality, Diane and Morley built the home with room for all of the kids from each side of the family to gather. During the years on Lake Amelia,  Morley became very active in the Amelia - Villard - Leven Lake Association, eventually taking on the role of President. He was relentless in his passion to stop Aquatic Invasive Species from entering the lake. He worked tirelessly for years to secure a boat cleaning station for the nearby public access.   Given this, one might think that Morley’s favorite hobby was fishing, and while he did enjoy fishing, he took even greater joy from golf. If he was not golfing, he was constantly watching golf!   Morley, Mo, Dad, Grandpa, whatever you called this amazing man, he was greatly loved and is very much missed.

Morley was preceded in death by his parents, Spencer and Florence, and his first wife and the mother of his children, Judith Frantzick. He is survived by his wife Diane Williams; his sister, Marion (Sam) Denham; his sons, Jonathan “Cory” (Tracy), Nathan (Jamie), and Mark (Carrie); as well as his step-children, Karen (Kyle) Swanson and Mathew (Carrie) Williams ;eleven grandchildren and six step-grandchildren.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Morley’s family has chosen to postpone plans for a memorial service. They are hopeful that people will be able to safely come together to remember Morley and celebrate his life in the Summer of 2021. Service times and arrangement details will be announced once a day and time have been determined.

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