Gerald Ray Fronk, 81, of De Leon, passed peacefully from this life May 7, 2025, with his loving family by his side. He was born November 18, 1943, in Eldorado, Illinois to William Glenn Fronk and Iris Nash Fronk. Gerald married his loving wife of sixty-one years on May 16, 1964.

Gerald's family moved to De Leon when he was a young child, and he was raised here graduating with the De Leon Class of 1961. He was drafted into the United States Army and entered Vietnam when his son was only seven weeks old. He proudly served his country and was honorably discharged with many decorations.

Gerald owned numerous fuel stations in De Leon throughout the years. The most recent station was Fronk Chevron. He sincerely loved serving the De Leon community and often helped those in need without ever expecting a thing in return. He also worked for Sunray Engineering in Weatherford. This employment was more of a hobby than a job as he was so excited to build custom jeeps with Sunray. Jeepin' or "rock crawling" was a true passion of Geralds. He was a part of the No Mercy Jeepin' group for many years and absolutely loved the adventures he shared with those dear friends. Gerald also enjoyed all kinds of music. He was a talented musician but, interestingly enough, he never learned to read music. He was a rare "left-handed" guitarist. He installed many sound systems for numerous churches over the years. He also loved spending time outdoors and enjoyed fishing and feeding his birds. Gerald loved coaching little league baseball and had kids he coached decades ago, still refer to him as Coach today.

He was a man of many talents and enjoyed anything mechanical. He could design, engineer, build, and service anything. He was gifted in mechanical and electrical repair and was skilled in construction. Gerald would think outside of the box and often find a way to a solution no one else had thought about.

Gerald and Nina are long-time members of St. Joe Baptist Church. Their membership spans over four decades with Gerald serving as a deacon for many of those years. He was a dedicated family man and loved his family well. He was a devoted and selfless husband, father, and grandfather. He was a loyal friend, neighbor, and servant of Christ. Gerald was loved by all who knew him and will be missed beyond measure.

He is survived by his wife, Nina Beth Fronk; son, Jerry Fronk and wife, Becky; daughter, Debbi Sparger and husband, Danny; grandchildren, Brandon Frazier, Courtney Spears and husband, Jeremiah, Jessica Crome and husband, Nick, Derek Sparger and wife, Alexa, and Dustin Sparger and wife, Katelyn; three great grandchildren, LeeAnn Sparger, Blake Sparger and Caroline Crome; sister, Glenda Wilkerson and husband, Gayle; brother-in-law, Don Parker and wife, Jackie; numerous nieces, nephews, and other extended family. Gerald was preceded in death by his parents.

Funeral services celebrating Gerald's life were held Saturday, May 10, 2025, at St. Joe Baptist Church with Brother Matt Morton officiating. Graveside committal followed in De Leon Cemetery. Serving as pallbearers were Derek Sparger, Dustin Sparger, Randy Parker, Rafe Williams, Mike Huddleston and Terry Nowlin. Honorary pallbearers were Johnny Reyna, Jimmy Mahan, and Kenneth Quinn.

If desired, memorial contributions may be made to St. Joe Baptist Church (PO Box 201, De Leon, 76444) or to St. Jude Children's Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/), in memory of Gerald.