Francis Elliott Tyson

Our family thanks each and every one of you for your sincere thoughts, notes and attendance to his service. A note from the service:

First, I just want to thank all of you for being here today.

Some of you traveled from very far away. Some of you knew my dad in different chapters of his life — friends, family, Kansas State Sigma Chi fraternity brothers, coworkers- Xerox Cessna & Guflstream, lifelong friends. And standing here looking at this room… I am overwhelmed by the number of people who showed up today.

But maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.

Because this turnout is a true testament to the kind of man my father was.

Who shows up for you… who calls you their friend… the depth and breadth of your friendships from coast to coast… that says everything about your character. It speaks to the lives you touched and the way you made people feel.

We have been truly amazed by the quality of friendships and connections my father built throughout his journey in life.

Connection meant everything to him.

If you know… you know about the Sunday phone calls.

He would sit in his chair and work his way through his call list — friends, family, people he cared about. He wanted to check in. He wanted to connect. He wanted to know how you were doing. He made people feel remembered. Important. Seen.

And honestly, in a world where so many people are disconnected, my dad practiced connection every single day.

He had this incredible ability to believe in people — often more than they believed in themselves
Growing up I always complained that my dad was just hard on me (some of it well deserved, I know… I know..) But as I got older, I realized something different: he was giving me tools. He was teaching me how to survive. How to be strong. How to keep going.


He was an incredibly accomplished businessman. For a small-town Kansas boy, he built a full life and career through hard work, determination, and belief in himself. He carried himself with professionalism, confidence, and grit, and I think a huge part of why he pushed his us to dream big is because he knew firsthand what was possible when you believed in yourself and worked for it.
He challenged people to become the best version of themselves because he genuinely saw greatness in them. He could see strengths in people they couldn’t even see in themselves yet — and somehow he pulled it out of them.

And he didn’t really understand the words “mine” and “yours.”

To my dad, it was always “ours.”

He knew how to share. How to include people. How to make everyone feel welcome, involved, heard, and valued.

And just look at these pictures.

For a Kansas boy who hated winter… he sure loved the outdoors. His happy place was on the water — catching the sunset - fishing pole in one hand… and let’s be honest… a manhattan in the other.

He especially loved teaching his grandchildren to fish. Those are the memories that will live on forever.

Dad…

My love for you runs so deep. And the pain of losing you is a testament to how much you meant to me. I know so many people in this room feel that same ache because that’s the mark of a man who truly mattered in people’s lives.

And there’s something else I want to say.

Dad, you had an incredible ability to forgive other people. You made people feel loved, welcomed back, understood. You carried grace for others.

But sometimes… you had the hardest time forgiving yourself.

So today I want to say this clearly:

You are forgiven.

You are loved.

And you are at peace.

As summer begins, the ice is off the lake, I know so many of us will think of you constantly. We’ll feel you in the sunshine, on the water, during long conversations, in laughter, in quiet moments, in phone calls we wish we could still make.

Your energy was a force of nature. And I truly believe a part of it remains with all of us.

So today, I’d like everyone to raise a glass.

Dad, I don’t know if you’re holding a See through or a Manhattan … but this one is for you.

Thank you for loving people so deeply.

Thank you for teaching us connection.

Thank you for believing in us.

And thank you to every single person here today, because every one of you mattered deeply to my father.

Cheers, Dad.

I love you.

Sharing an article in Kansas State's Sigma Chi "The Wildcat Sig" newsletter in which Francis and his fraternity brothers were featured in the Fall 2013 edition.

Brother Hosts Pledge Class Reunions

Francis Tyson ’64 Maintains Fraternal Bonds

Being a part of a fraternity was a very different experience in the 1960s than it is today. When Francis Tyson ’64 joined Sigma Chi at Kansas State University he was making a decision that would impact the rest of his life.

“During the ’60s almost everyone wanted to belong to something. It was a wonderful time in the fraternity system, and I think we are all better off because of it. We’ve kept in touch ever since.”

Francis graduated in 1964 with a degree in speech broadcasting. He went on to become a pilot and eventually ended up in corporate jet sales. Today, he is retired and is fortunate to host his pledge class reunion every year at his home.

He and his pledge brothers make every effort to stay connected and visit with each other every few months.

“We always tell the same stories and laugh a lot,” he said. “There’s no special thing we do, but the reunion itself is special. We love to get out the old yearbook and look through everything.”

The brothers meet every year for their reunion event, traveling as far as 800 miles to attend.

“It takes effort, but Sigma Chi was the highlight of my college career.”

Francis hopes that any brothers who have lost touch with the chapter will reconnect.

“By losing touch you are missing the final chapter of being a Sigma Chi,” he said.

Some of Francis’ favorite memories revolve around the K-State glee club with instructor Morrie Hayes. Morrie offered to help the fraternity with their inter-fraternity events if they agreed to participate in the glee club.

“He taught us to be better than we thought we could be. His favorite saying was, ‘Gentlemen, don’t be mediocre,’” Francis said.

His favorite song they performed was Sweetheart of Sigma Chi.

Francis greatly appreciates everything he learned during his time as an active member.

“I particularly remember Mother Boss, who taught us to be gentlemen. She taught us how to eat, to stand up when a lady enters the room, and just be all around good men,” he said.

He uses the lessons he learned from Sigma Chi every day.

“Sigma Chi taught me social graces, leadership, and how to interact with people, whether I like them or not.”

He believes that, while the fraternity may not have directly impacted his career, it was an important contributing factor along the way.

“As a pledge, I purchased a Sigma Chi ring; I’ve always worn that ring and I still wear it today. It has opened more doors for me and created more conversations than anything else. It has had a positive impact on the people I meet, just because I wear a ring and they recognize it,” he said.

Sigma Chi has become a family tradition for Francis’ family. Francis joined at the encouragement of his brother-in-law Don Saum, Alpha Gamma ’56. Since then, his nephew Dean Saum, Epsilon Pi ’77, and sons Jeff Tyson, Beta Zeta ’92, and Rob Hanson ’89, have also joined the fraternity.

“It makes me extremely proud. Even though the experience isn’t necessarily the same, I couldn’t be happier to have my family be a part of this.”

Francis and his wife, Trudy, spend their summers in Wisconsin and their winters in Florida. He enjoys spending his free time hunting, fishing, and spending time with his eight grandchild

Frank

Many fond memories come to mind when I think of my good friend, Frank. I would have to say that the most memorable is from the late 1960s. Northwest Airlines hired 29 pilots to train. As the training progressed, one military pilot took the time to meet and greet me, the only civilian pilot in the class. That pilot, a KC-141 air craft commander with more flight time than I could ever imagine, was Frank Tyson.

As our training continued. I slowly earned respect from the other older and more experienced military pilots. That respect did not come without a price. As Frank supported our friendship with his military buddies and all of our relationships grew, little did I know that I was officially branded as a FLAP. This was not an official title as a component of our aircraft flight control systems, but as a “F***ing Light Airplane Pilot.” And that, my friends, cemented our friendship for life.

For the next 60 years, Frank and I have laughed together, played together and at times cried together. Most importantly, we’ve worked together and supported each other through career changes, marriages, children and wonderful memories. I share the sorrow everyone feels today and wish I could be there with all of you to celebrate Frank’s life. God has called Frank home. He fought a gallant fight all his life, and I can only hope that when my time comes to join him, that I can once again be in Frank’s squadron.

Frank, may your skies be clear and smooth.

~ John Hodskins

Remembering Frank with admiration, appreciation and a smile.

Frank was one in a million, a great friend, and will be missed.

Florida

I was fortunate enough to have been invited to the Tyson deer camp, where I had the pleasure of getting to know Frank. In the time I was able to speak with him, it became abundantly clear just what kind of Man he was. He spoke incredibly humbly on his storied career, but spoke with immense pride about his Granddaughters and Family. Not to mention his great sense of humor. It only makes sense that my Uncle Jeff exhibits the same traits and integrity that were undoubtedly instilled in him by his Father Frank.

Frank was consistently fair and honest as my sales manager at Citation and then Gulfstream. He earned my respect right away because of that. Lucky for me we became friends throughout and after our aviation sales careers. His demeanor never changed and his humor and laugh were most contagious. Frank was a great man and I miss him.

My sincere sympathy to the entire Tyson family. Frank had a profound impact on my life when he hired me at Xerox in 1979. I fondly remember him as a well dressed professional man who had confidence in me to succeed in the business world. I’m so grateful to him. God bless you Frank!

I am looking forward to celebrating his life with his entire family and all those gathered and what a celebration it will be.

Frank had an enormous impact on my life (his friendship, his
mentoring and through our many, many years of working side-by-side together at Gulfstream) and his god-given influences still resonate.

I miss the whole measure of this Man and happily that won’t subside.

Kindest regards,

Noell

When in Florida, I was able to spend lots of time with Trudy and Bud, dinners, rode trips, snacks, lots of see-through’s, hot tubs, hearing his jokes over and over, learning about his extraordinary life and all he did, hearing about his childhood and parents and Jean. He had a wealth of knowledge and loved when asked to share his stories. He was wonderful to me and is missed so much….