Franklin B. W. Woodbury, 83 years old of Atchison, Kansas, passed away on April 19, 2021, following an illness.  Frank was born on December 12, 1937, in Joplin, Missouri, to Samuel and Pauline Patricia (Bennett) Woodbury of Joplin, Missouri, where he grew up.  Family history was important to Frank and he was a proud member of the Sons of the American Revolution. 

Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 10:00 A.M. at St. Benedict Church. Visitation will begin at 9:00 A.M. and a rosary will be prayed at 9:30 A.M. prior to the mass. In lieu of flowers, Frank asked that memorial donations be sent to the Benedictine College Engineering Department Mission Fund, 1020 North Second Street, Atchison, Kansas, 66002. Funeral care has been entrusted to the Arensberg-Pruett Funeral Home.

Services and Interment in Joplin, Missouri are pending at this time.

Frank graduated from Joplin High School in 1955.  During his high school years, Frank encountered Christ while spending time in a nearby Catholic church.  He was baptized at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Joplin, Missouri.  The priest there suggested he attend St. Benedict’s College in Atchison, Kansas, which he did for a year.  In that time, he became an Oblate of St. Benedict, a spiritual commitment that was important to him throughout his life.  During his later university studies Frank served as a lector at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Joplin, Missouri.

From 1957 to 1961, Frank stepped away from studies to serve in the United States Air Force.  He was trained as an electronic instrument training technician and served at Ent Air Force Base near Colorado Springs, Colorado.  A proud veteran, the Fourth of July was one of Frank’s favorite holidays.  He would gather friends to share a meal (Fries and burgers from Five Guys was his favorite.) and watch fireworks.  Upon completion of his military service, Frank returned to college where he successfully earned a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1965.

Frank’s long and distinguished engineering career spanned over decades.  In 1971 he began work for the U.S. Bureau of Mines as a research engineer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  As part of this work, he developed an on-line analytical device employing thermal neutron capture reactions to measure the composition of iron ore process streams.  Frank was promoted to the Bureau’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he served on the U.S. National Tunneling Committee of the National Research Council.  He became the Divisional Staff Engineer in the Division of Minerals and Materials Science where he developed and wrote the Bureau’s first Program Formulation and Evaluation Plan that served as a guide for Bureau researchers.  Frank rose to Assistant Chief of the Division of Regulatory and Policy Analysis and retired from the U.S. Bureau of Mines in 1997. 

Frank was an active member, and often elected leader and board member in numerous professional organizations including the National Society of Professional Engineers, Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers, Virginia Society of Professional Engineers, American Society for Engineering Management, American Society for Metals, American Institute for Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers - The Metals Society.  More notably Frank was proud to be a founding member of Epsilon Mu Eta, the Engineering Management Honor Society (EMH), a charter member of the National Institute for Engineering Management and Systems (NIEMS) and for his service on the Minnesota Legislature Science and Technology Resource Council.  As President-Elect of the American Society for Engineering Management, ASEM, in 1989 Frank opened negotiations with representatives of engineering groups in Canada and Australia concerning their common interest in engineering management issues. The discussions between these international engineering management communities in their respective countries resulted in the establish of a cooperative agreement between ASEM, and the Engineering Management Societies in Canada and Australia that was signed at the Australia Embassy in Washington, D.C., and led to the establishment of the International Federation of Engineering Management Societies, IFEM, in 1991.

His most enduring contributions, however, likely came from the time he spent with the civil and social organizations that were his passion.  From 1994 to the present, he was a member of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem.  A Fourth-Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, he seriously lived the principles of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism.  At Frank’s suggestion to the Supreme Knight, the Knights of Columbus put together and published a prayer book for service members called, Armed With The Faith, A Catholic Handbook for Military Personnel.  Serving in numerous council officer positions, the highlight for Frank was his ministry as an usher at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.  Whether it was the Pope or thousands of pilgrims visiting the Shrine for the annual pro-life March for Life, you would find Frank volunteering in and around the Basilica.

 His appreciation for education and commitment to the professional development of young engineers lead him to join and serve in Sigma Pi Fraternity International and the Alpha Iota Chapter at the University of Missouri – Rolla.  He served as Grand Herald for two years.  In addition, Frank was a member of numerous honor societies including Sigma Xi (National Research Society), Tau Beta Pi (Engineering), Alpha Sigma Mu (Metallurgic Engineering), and Epsilon Eta Mu (Engineering Management Honor Society).

After his retirement, Frank moved from Washington, D.C., to Atchison, Kansas, where much of his life’s journey began.  He enjoyed working in the newly established Engineering Department at Benedictine College.  His students were a source of pride and he helped many of them develop their resumes, interview, and find employment.  They became family and will remember Thanksgiving around Frank’s table.  He insisted on turkey, brown gravy, cranberry sauce out of the can, and pumpkin pie.  Some of their favorite memories of Frank are the stories he would tell about life’s adventures.  Most importantly, they say he showed them how to have integrity, be a professional, and follow Christ.  Frank’s faith in Jesus Christ lead him to enthusiastically follow the work of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, FOCUS.  Even as he became home-bound, Frank would regularly receive Holy Communion.  Holy Mass was celebrated at his bedside and he received the Anointing of the Sick and Apostolic Pardon on the day of his death.  Blessed be his memory.