The St. Clair County Pheasants Forever Chapter #74 suffered another great loss recently with the passing of long time chapter member and current Chairman of our Board of Directors Frank Duchane.
Frank had attended several chapter banquets before becoming a member of our chapter’s Board of Directors in 1996. Frank was a great addition to the board and our chapter as he brought a wealth of knowledge concerning conservation and conservation club matters to the table. He was a great liaison for our chapter and the Perch Point Conservation Club where he was also a member and had served as their club’s president and trap chairman multiple times. Frank’s experience and interest in firearms was valued as he helped with selecting the guns that were used in our raffles. At our banquets, Frank was always working on the stage assisting with the raffles and helping to keep the evening’s events running smoothly. As a mentor and volunteer in the conservation community, Frank’s actions were superb and did not go unnoticed. This is clear by the influence he had on three of our current board members, longtime friend and hunting partner Erich Scheinpflug, Frank’s son-in-law Tim Golm, and grandson Nolan Golm.
Frank was very proud of his country. He served in the United States Army with distinction, earning several commendations for his service, including the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal. Frank strongly supported recognizing and honoring our veterans at our banquets with a PF pin and a round of applause for their service.
Chapter Secretary/Treasurer Bob Watson never had the opportunity to hunt with Frank, but the two shared many stories about their hunting adventures with their dogs. Frank enjoyed telling stories about Bear and Sadie. Bob reflected that the stories Frank told were so clear and vivid that you felt like you were there. This story time at meetings will be sorely missed.
Frank will be greatly missed. RIP friend.