Frank Alan Opaskar ’66

Frank Alan Opaskar ’66, M.D., passed away in a boat accident on June 23. Frank was raised in University Heights, Ohio, where he was active in the Boy Scouts and acquired a lifelong love of traveling and the outdoors. At Chanel High School he played football, ran track, and played the flute. At Dartmouth Frank majoring in philosophy and was an avid member of the lightweight crew team. His connection with his crew mates persisted, and attending reunions where he would row with the alumni team was an ongoing joy. After earning his M.D. at the University of Michigan Medical School in 1970 and completion of formal training, Frank was founding pediatrician at the McCafferty Clinic for the City of Cleveland. Later he worked at Metro General, then Kaiser Permanente in 1984, where he practiced until retiring in 2011. Frank and Gail Soinski, a teacher and administrator in Cleveland schools, married in 1985. Daughter Amanda, now a medical doctor, was born in 1989. Frank and Gail loved to travel together. The family skied every year in Colorado or Utah; boating in summers remained a core family activity as well. He generously supported many organizations, particularly around Dartmouth, rowing, and wildlife. Frank was a storyteller, loved books, and visited the library weekly. He was extremely kind, gentle, understanding, and considerate. Friends remember his wry, dry, constant sense of humor and the perpetual grin that lit up his face. Frank is survived by his wife, daughter, sister, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.