Francis (Frank) Albert Gruswitz lll passed away peacefully with his loving daughter by his side on March 13, 2026, at the age of 97. Frank was born in St. Louis, Missouri on December 8, 1928 to Francis Albert Gruswitz ll and Agnes (nee Iman) Gruswitz. He had a sister Jacquelyn and brother Albert. He grew up in Walnut Park, Missouri where he and his friends shared many crazy, fun adventures.
Frank served with honor in the United States Army Signal Corp from 1951-1953 during the Korean War. He was extremely proud to serve his country and insisted on wearing his veteran's hat everywhere he went.
Frank married his loving wife, Mary Ann (nee Blum), on August 22, 1959 and moved to Maplewood, Missouri where they raised two children: John (Lois) and Deborah (Michael) McEnery. Frank and Mary had 56 years of love, companionship and "spirited" conversation. Together, they were blessed with six grandchildren, Meghan, Scott, Ian (Abby), Andrew, Brett (Maral) and Nicholas (Emilee). Frank was thrilled to welcome his great grandson, Finnegan last year. The love for his grandchildren and his great grandson was immeasurable.
Frank had a successful career as an electrical engineer working for White-Rodgers, a division of Emerson Electric. He was a leading expert in gas burner design, development, manufacturing and testing. He was especially proud of being awarded two US patents and a co-contributor for a third for his inventions and designs.
Frank enjoyed sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for electronics and was proud of his secondary career as an electronics instructor at South County Technical School for many years. Frank had a life-long love for airplanes, both big and small. Starting with his first U-control (line controlled) model airplane at the age of 7, Frank was passionate about designing, building and flying remote controlled airplanes. He was a Master Modeler and completed his last and largest plane at the age of 94.
Frank loved sharing his enthusiasm with others and was a founding member of several model clubs in the St. Louis area. Frank's love of airplanes led to many great and lasting friendships, and some of his happiest moments were teaching about airplanes to his grandchildren and their classmates.
Frank is preceded in death by his wife Mary and sister Jacquelyn and is survived by his brother Albert, children John and Deborah, six grandchildren, one great-grandson, and his extended family and friends, who will deeply miss him and his infamous stories, sayings and jokes. Funeral service for Frank will be held on Monday, March 23rd, at JB Smith Funeral Home located at 777 Oakwood, Fenton, MO 63026. Visitation will be at 9:00 a.m. prior to a memorial service at 10:00 at the funeral home prior to preceding to Jefferson Barracks Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to BJC Hospice, Evelyn's House or Honor Flight.