O&P lost a good friend last week when Frank Blommaerts, CPO, passed away. He died on Thursday Feb.6th 2014 after a short illness. He was able to complete a two week trip to Belgium to say good-bye to family and lifelong friends prior to his passing. He was born March 18, 1928 in Antwerp, Belgium.
Frank was beloved by friends, patients, family and co-workers in a career which spanned 63 years. He began working in O&P at the age of 14 in Belgium in the stone-age of prosthetics when feet were made by hand, sockets were made out of hand shaped tin and wooden sockets were still being carved.
Frank met and then married Martha Vinck on December 27, 1952. Unable to speak English, the Blommaerts immigrated to Canada by boat on the M/S Seven Seas in 1957 with only $100 in their pocket. In 1965 the family moved to the United States and settled in the Portland area; Frank later became an American citizen. Frank and Martha divorced in 1981.
Frank attended UCLA and Northwestern University. In 1980, with the encouragement of his colleagues, he opened Eastside Orthotics and Prosthetics in Portland, OR where he helped countless people with disabilities until his retirement in 2002. He was greatly respected by his colleagues and also known as a very sharp dresser. Frank will be missed by all who knew him.
Frank leaves behind: three daughters, Yolanda Nolten, Linda Eisele and Ingrid Thompson; five grandchildren, three great grandchildren; he was preceded in death by his grandson Jayson Eisele. Visitation for Frank will be held on Saturday February 15, 2014 from 12-4pm at Bateman Carroll Funeral Home, Gresham, OR. A memorial service will be held during that time at 2:00pm on Saturday February 15, 2014 also at Bateman Carroll Funeral.
Submitted by Steve Rosenberg, CP, BOCO
