Obituary of Frank Irvin Loomis

Frank was born to Frank K. and Alma May Loomis on September 12, 1941, in Akron, Ohio, although the family residence was in Brimfield.  He was active in sports at an early age and excelled at baseball and golf.  He enjoyed fishing, particularly fly fishing, and was involved in scouting as well.  Frank earned the rank of Eagle Scout while attending Kent State High School in Kent, Ohio, and upon graduation, was accepted at Kent State University, where he was on the golf team.  He graduated in 1963, earning a BA in pre-law.  Frank was admitted to The Ohio State School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor Degree in 1966.  While in college, Frank was also an assistant golf pro.  His other golf achievements include membership in the Hole in One Club at Tahoma Valley in 1993 and a League Championship at Nisqually Valley in 1997.

After passing the Ohio Bar in 1966, Frank was introduced to Nancy Summer on a blind date and they were engaged in early 1967.  They married on July 22, 1967 in Rossford, Ohio.  The couple packed up their belongings and, along with a horse in tow, moved out West to Auburn, Washington, where they took up residence in a cabin overlooking the Green River in Flaming Geyer Park.  Frank passed the Washington Bar in 1968 and went to work for the law firm of Albert and Demers in Federal Way.

In 1968, they returned to Rossford, Ohio, where Frank was employed in a Toledo law firm.  On January 3, 1969, the couple welcomed their first child, Erick Loomis.

In the spring of 1970, the family moved for the last time back to Washington State.  They resided in Federal Way and Fircrest, and then built a home in Roy, where they lived until Frank’s death.

In 1971, Frank went to work for the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, where  he was to remain for 35 years until his retirement in 2006.

On November 21, 1972, the couple welcomed their second child, a daughter, Jennifer Loomis.

During Frank’s tenure with Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office, he achieved some remarkable accomplishments.  He spent a significant portion of his career prosecuting upper level drug traffickers in the Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement Team (TNET), which he helped found in 1985.  This was the first multi-jurisdictional state and locally run drug task force in the State of Washington, which is still in existence today under the supervision of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.  Because of the significance of the cases being prosecuted, it became expedient to take them into the Federal Court System.  Frank was one of the first Washington state prosecutors to be cross-designated as an Assistant United States Attorney so that he could try cases in U.S. District Court.  His competence earned him job offers from the United States Attorney’s Office.  Frank was a man who firmly believed in and practiced the “Fair Administration of Justice.”  He was respected by his fellow prosecutors, judges at all levels, the defense bar, and law enforcement.  Frank was affectionately given the nickname “Papa Smurf” by one of his colleagues because he was able to diffuse and mediate the most difficult legal and interpersonal situations that arose.

On September 5, 2018, Frank passed away peacefully at this home in Roy, with his wife, Nancy, daughter, Jennifer and her husband Casey, two of his grandchildren, Shay and Jillian, and some privileged friends in attendance.  Also present was a six-week old, chocolate Labradoodle puppy named Abby, who Frank had waited patiently to see and who was born on his wedding anniversary.

Frank will be truly missed.  He was a man of God, family, country, and he loved his friends unequivocally.  Frank is survived by his wife, Nancy; his daughter, Jennifer, and son-in-law, Casey; his sister, Amy Gibbons, and her husband, Mike, of Pittsburgh; his nephew, John of Pittsburgh; and his grandchildren, Kelly, Shay, and Jillian.  Today, Frank is with his Creator and his son, Erick.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, September 15, 2018, 1:00 p.m. at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 805 Yelm Ave. E., Yelm, WA 98597.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Frank’s name be sent to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.