Francis "Frank" Washburn Child
Frank W. Child
Francis "Frank" Washburn Child, 74, of Cody died Jan. 24, 2012, at Baptist Hospital in Miami, Fla.
Frank was born in Minneapolis, Minn., on Dec. 16, 1937. He married Inga Johnson on Feb. 28, 1964, in Minneapolis. They moved their family to Cody in 1981 after visiting for business reasons and falling in love with the area.
Shortly after moving to Cody, Frank started Child Towing and Recovery, LLC, after recognizing the need for a company to handle the recovery needs of the rugged country surrounding Cody. He built the most prominent wrecker business in the state and was recognized in American Towman magazine, among others, and also won many awards for his work.
He was a biomedical engineer in Minneapolis and had more than 350 patents to his name. One of the most famous was the artificial heart valve for which he was considered for a nomination for the Nobel Prize.
Upon moving to Cody he continued with his inventive nature, creating lockout tools and many other innovative tools to improve his services to the community.
Frank was involved with the community and enjoyed socializing, making friends and connections wherever he went. People always recognized him by his jokes and stories, and he enjoyed entertaining those he encountered with something new, whether it be a joke or an interesting tow job.
He is survived by his wife Inga, children Kevin Child of Michigan and daughters Amber, Haley and Brandi, Tim Child of North Dakota and his son Kaeden, and Judith (Kyle) Labert of Billings and her daughter Keilah Church.
Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be 4 p.m. Feb. 11 at Cody Cattle Co. A reception will follow.
Memorials may be made to MannaHouse to provide food for those in need within the community.