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.jpg) Frank D. Lachenmaier passed peacefully on June 29, 2022, joining the Church Triumphant, and will be greatly missed by his loving family and friends. Frank was born in Marysville, Ohio, on Dec. 4, 1942, to Frank B. and Frances Lachenmaier and grew up in Delphi, Indiana, with three siblings, (to whom he was always 'Spike'). He graduated from Delphi High School in 1960, where he was active in cross-country and school plays, which may surprise those who knew him as soft-spoken. He especially enjoyed his role in the classic play "You Can't Take It with You." Frank enjoyed both the message of the play, and the fact his role allowed him to set off fireworks in the auditorium.
He continued his education at Purdue University, receiving his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and later earning his master's in Industrial Engineering. He moved to Kokomo and began a 36-year career at Delco Electronics / Delphi Automotive. In 1967, he met the love of his life, Rae (Larsh) Lachenmaier, at a wedding at St. Patrick Catholic Church. They were married Aug. 3, 1968.
Following his "You Can't Take It with You" philosophy, he always encouraged his family to seize opportunities to travel, learn and try new things. If his daughter spotted an item on a menu she could not pronounce, he encouraged her to order it, even if it was the most expensive thing. He and Rae never put "dream vacations" off for someday. If they spotted something that looked fun, they signed up and visited many wonderful places across the country and abroad. His son, as teenager, once booked the family on a trip to San Diego for an Indianapolis Colts wildcard game as a surprise while Frank was at work! Instead of being upset, he was pleased that his son had learned to seize such opportunities and not let them pass by. Frank made sure his children had the opportunities to try everything they were interested in, and supported their many sports, hobbies, and lessons.
Frank loved his work very much, finding his engineering projects interesting and enjoying his coworkers tremendously. He was proud to see his company evolve from radios and plastics to complex electronics. During his career, he was awarded several patents form his work. In 1997, while still working for Delphi, he decided to pursue this passion further and enrolled in law school at Indiana University in Indianapolis. He found it immensely rewarding, and eventually retired from Delphi to begin his own practice. He was a patent attorney in downtown Kokomo for another 17 years before he decided it was time to really retire. That gave him the freedom to attend more Colts and Purdue Games, travel to Italy for his 50th anniversary, and tend to his beautiful hybrid roses.
He is survived by his wife, Rae Lachenmaier; children, Lynn (Jonathan) Everson, Frank R. Skip Lachenmaier; grandchildren, Frank Leon Lachenmaier, Isaac Everson, Noah Lachenmaier; nephews, David (Dawn) Lybrook, Darryl (Michelle) Lybrook; nieces, Kristin Ozdych, Kimberly Hickman; great-nieces and nephews; great-great-nieces and nephews.
A graveside service for the family will be held at South Union Cemetery. Everyone is encouraged to celebrate Frank's life as he would want, don't wait to book a trip to that great place on the bucket list, sign up for that class that always looked interesting, go out for a fancy dinner and order the most expensive, unpronounceable dessert. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Bona Vista of Kokomo, and the Kokomo YMCA. Shirley & Stout Funeral Home & Crematory has been entrusted with arrangements. Messages of condolences may be left online at www.shirleyandstout.com.
Published on July 10, 2022
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