Please Send Prayers, the Passing of Heather Frankle

HEATHER FRANKLE OBITUARY
Heather Nash Frankle, 71, passed away on December 23, 2016 following a four year fight with cancer.

Heather was born in Oak Ridge, TN, the oldest daughter of Murray Nash and Laura Kopeikin Nash, and grew up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.  She graduated from the University of Maryland, Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Sociology.  Heather and her high school sweetheart Nick Frankle, were married in February 1966.  Heather, Nick, and their two children Donna and James, moved to Thousand Oaks in 1978 and have been residents ever since.
 
Heather spent her entire life caring for others. She had a long and successful career in senior care beginning as Marketing Director for La Serena Retirement Community in Thousand Oaks and retiring as Executive Director of Sunrise at Simi Hills, an assisted living community that housed 302 beds specifically for those who suffered memory loss due to Alzheimer’s disease. She also served as Vice President of Senior Concerns in Thousand Oaks and was a consultant to Santa Paula for an adult day-care program.

Heather served on the Boards of Directors of many Ventura County non-profit organizations serving the senior community.  She was a founding member of the Ventura County Financial Abuse Specialist Team. Heather was a member of the Conejo-Las Virgenes Future Foundation Task Force on Senior Issues; past Vice President and Board Member Emeritus of the Alzheimer’s Association, Central Coast Chapter; a founding member and President of AWARE, the Auxiliary Working for Alzheimer’s Resources and Education; chair of the Ventura County Elder Abuse Council; an Alternate Service Provider to the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging; and chair of the Older Adults Task Force on Mental Health.
 
Heather joined the Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise in 2007 and immediately became involved in International Service. She led humanitarian grants in many countries including Honduras, India, and Venezuela. Heather was a three-time recipient of the Rotary District 5240 Dr. John Padilla Humanitarian of the Year Award. Because of her humanitarian work in Honduras, she was invited by the Honduran government to be an international observer at their controversial and contested presidential elections in 2009.  

Heather was an expert in micro-finance and economic development in both developing and developed countries. During the Great Recession and as a result of her leadership, the Rotary Foundation approved a grant in the amount of $240,476 to initiate the first Rotary sponsored microcredit loan program in any developed nation. This grant supported the creation or growth of 21 businesses in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. She also served as Secretary of the Rotary Action Group for Micro-finance and Community Development.
 
Many thanks are extended to all of the Rotarians and friends around the world who sent Heather personal good thoughts and prayers and whose energy and support helped her through these difficult times.

Heather was full of life and enjoyed the opera, live theater, working in her garden, and international travel, but her driving passion was humanitarian service. She is survived by her husband Nick, her daughter Donna Sartor, son-in-law Joe Sartor, son James, daughter-in-law Jacqui Frankle, sister Barbara Goldstein, and brother Paul Nash.  She will be missed by those who knew her, but most of all Heather will be missed by the thousands of people whose lives were touched by her many humanitarian projects.
 
The celebration of Heather’s life will be held Sunday, January 15, 2017, 10:00 AM, at Mount Sinai Memorial Park, 6150 Mount Sinai Road, Simi Valley, CA 93063.
 
A special fund has been set up for contributions for the continuation of Heather’s humanitarian work.
Donations will be accepted at the Heather Frankle Project Fund, C/O the Simi Sunrise Charitable Foundation, P.O. Box 941101, Simi Valley, CA 93094-1101