Frank L. Frable Jr., MD

Frank L. Frable Jr., M.D. 1925 – 2022 Compassionate surgeon – lifelong learner
Frank L. Frable Jr., M.D., 97 of Aurora, Indiana, passed away on October 2, 2022, from complications of prostate cancer. He was a dedicated husband, father, and surgeon who touched many lives in the Dearborn County area. He will be remembered for his commitment to providing outstanding care to his patients and his passion for learning. While his sight and ability to read print dimmed in later years, listening to Talking Books and having conversations with family and friends brightened his days.
Born August 1, 1925, in New York City, his family moved to Ohio, West Virginia, and settled in Highland Park, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago. At 10 years of age, he heard a radio broadcast about sulfa drugs being used to fight infections that sparked his interest in medicine and changed his life. He often reflected on his experiences as a Boy Scout and becoming an Eagle Scout; especially the summers as a teen at Camp Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan in Pearson, Wisconsin.
Before graduating high school in 1943, he was admitted to the University of Illinois. By 1944 he was drafted into the Navy and served as an Electronics Technician Mate 3rd class. Frank was an avid boxer in the Navy, earning the name “Fightingest Fighter Navy Pier” in 1945.
After discharge from the Navy in 1946, he was accepted to the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, and received his MD degree in the class of 1951-5. During his residency in 1952 in Akron, Ohio, he met the love of his life, Jean Hyde. They were married in 1953. In 1955 he joined the Whitlatch Clinic in Milan, Indiana, and began his medical career in southeastern Indiana.
The growing family moved to Aurora, Indiana, in 1959 with Dearborn County Hospital just opening its doors. As a general surgeon, Frank practiced medicine from 1951 to 2000. During the early years he partnered with several local physicians to build the Ludlow Hill Clinic in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Over his tenure at Dearborn County Hospital, he served as Chief of Surgery and Chief of Staff. He was the last standing physician of those who opened Dearborn County Hospital. He had a passion for helping others and ensuring their health was a priority. He will be remembered as a surgeon and physician who cared about his patients.
Frank was active in the community church, served on the school board, and in later years was part of the Aurora City Planning Commission and the Dearborn County Health Commission. In his spare time he loved good books, friendly debates, and opportunities to go fishing. And if you knew “Doc,” you also knew he loved his bow ties.
To his family, “Dad” would be the first to say he could have done more in life or could have done it better. But that was just dad; he always wanted to do more, be kind to others and keep learning.
He was preceded in death by his parents Frank L. Frable Sr. and Geraldine Stahl Frable, his wife of 63 years the Reverend Jean Hyde Frable, his sister Joan Frable Klemp, and nephew Peter Klemp. He is survived by his brother William Jackson Frable, M.D.; his seven children, Pam Frable and husband Warren Nagumo, Frank Gordon Frable, Rachel Frable Dieterle and husband Paul, Glenn Frable and wife Connie, Guy Frable and wife Patti Szabo, Garth Frable and wife Teresa McMahon, and Amy Frable Jones. He was blessed with his extended family of seven grandchildren, five great grandchildren, six nieces and amazing caregiver in his last years – Janeen McGuire.
Visitation on October 14, 2022, from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. will be at the First Presbyterian Church of Aurora, 215 Fourth Street in Aurora, Indiana. Celebration of Life will be at First Presbyterian Church at 11:00 a.m. on October 15, 2022, followed by a short reception at the church. A private burial for the family will be at Riverview Cemetery in Aurora, Indiana.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Salvation Army, Dearborn County Community Foundation, the First Presbyterian Church of Aurora, and Our Hospice of South Central Indiana. Please call the Rullman Hunger Funeral Home office at (812) 926-1450 and we will notify the family of your donation with a card.
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