WE HAVE LOST A FRIEND... FRANK T. HOLDING, SR. FRANK TULLIS HOLDING, SR., LIFE MEMBER AND PAST CHIEF ENGINEER OF MILTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, INC. * JANUARY 28, 1934 - AUGUST 7, 2008 FRANK WAS BORN ON JANUARY 28, 1934 IN NEWPORT, NJ. TO THE PARENTS OF JOHN H. & ALBERTA HOLDING, DELIVERED BY DR. W. SHERMAN GARRISON. FRANK HOLDING HAD AN EXTENSIVE AGRICULTURAL BACKGROUND AND IN THE LATE 1960'S HIS CAREER PATH BROUGHT FRANK, HIS WIFE ELIZABETH AND FAMILY TO MILTON TO JOIN THE DRAPER CANNING COMPANY, INC. FRANK WORKED FOR THE CANNING COMPANY FOR MANY YEARS. FRANK BELIEVED IN A LARGE FAMILY AND AT ONE POINT HAD FOUR SONS IN MILTON FIRE DEPARTMENT AT SAME TIME. TIMOTHY & LARRY HOLDING ARE LIFE MEMBERS AND STILL ACTIVE TODAY. A LARGE LOCAL DAIRY FARM OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE HOPKINS FAMILY ASKED FRANK TO JOIN THEIR DAIRY OPERATION. HE WORKED LONG HOURS SEVEN DAYS A WEEK UNTIL HE RETIRED FROM THE DAIRY BUSINESS. FRANK WAS NOT ONE TO SIT IDLE AND RETIREMENT WAS NOT FOR HIM. HE THEN BEGAN WORKING FOR BOB WILLEY & SONS, INC. TO FILL IS IDLE TIME. FRANK WORKED UNTIL THE DAY HE PASSED AWAY AND EVEN THOUGH HE HAD SLOWED A BIT HAD NO INTENTIONS OF A PERMANENT RETIREMENT. FRANK T. HOLDING, SR., WILL BE SADLY MISSED BY US ALL WITH HIS TRADEMARK CIGAR THAT HE SPORTED EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY WITH HIS POPEYE STYLE GRIN. HE WAS A GOOD HUSBAND, FAMILY MAN, HARD WORKER AND FIREMAN WHO LOVED LIFE AND PEOPLE. WHEN IT CAME TO FARM EQUIPMENT OR FIRE TRUCKS, THERE WAS NOTHING FRANK COULD NOT REPAIR. HE HAD A COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO EACH JOB HE DID. FRANK NEVER MET A STRANGER, HE USED TO SAY: "WHAT ENEMIES I HAVE ARE SOME OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS." FRANK WAS WHAT WE WOULD CALL A SELF PROCLAIMED FIREMAN BEFORE HE EVER JOINED MILTON FIRE DEPARTMENT. HE HAD A PASSION FOR HAVING SUFFICIENT WATER AT FIRE SCENES. HIS INTEREST WAS FIRE DEPARTMENT TANKERS AND WATER SUPPLY. PRIOR TO MILTON FIRE DEPARTMENT FRANK SPORTED AN OLD 1936 OPEN CAB REO FARM TRUCK TANKER THAT HELD 2,000 GALLONS WITH NO FILL LID. WHEN MILTON HAD A BARN FIRE OR LARGE FIELD FIRE HERE WOULD COME FRANK WITH HIS "REO" AND HIS 2,000 GALLONS OF WATER TO THE SCENE. WHEN FRANK WOULD SLAM ON THE BREAKS WHEN ARRIVING AT THE FIRE SCENE WATER WOULD SHIFT TO THE FRONT OF THE TANK SPLASHING UP IN THE AIR AND DOWN ON FRANK. CHIEF VICTOR SPENCER WOULD TELL FRANK, "YOU HAVE TO QUIT THIS RUNNING TO THE FIRES WITH YOUR TANK TRUCK, WHY DON'T YOU JUST JOIN AND BECOME ONE OF US ?"..... AND ON JUNE 14, 1971, FRANK HOLDING DID JUST THAT. FOR 37 YEARS, 1 MONTH AND 24 DAYS FRANK WAS A MEMBER OF MILTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, INC., AND A VERY ACTIVE MEMBER AT THAT. FROM THE BEGINNING HE SERVED ON TRUCK COMMITTEES AND PARADE COMMITTEES. HE ATTENDED DELAWARE STATE FIRE SCHOOL WITH 401 HOURS OF TRAINING AND A NATIONAL FIRE CONVENTION ATTENDEE. FRANK'S TRUCK / APPARATUS COMMITTEE INVOLVEMENT TOOK HIM TO MANY FACTORY QUALITY CONTROL VISITS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. JANUARY 1989 FRANK ACCEPTED THE POSITION OF CHIEF ENGINEER FOR A YEAR AND AGAIN IN JANUARY 1991 FOR TWO YEARS. ON JUNE 14, 1991 FRANK T. HOLDING, SR., ACHIEVED LIFE MEMBERSHIP IN MILTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, INC. HE REMAINED ACTIVE ATTENDING ALL MEETINGS AND ALARMS UNTIL HIS PASSING DAY. WE WILL MISS YOU FRANK... DRIVING TANKER 85 YOUR (BULLDOG)..TO FIRES Lynn J. Rogers, Chief Milton Fire Department., Inc., Station 85