Col. (Ret.) Frank Holmes Chesky M.D.
Col. (Ret.) Frank Holmes Chesky M.D.
passed away on Nov. 26, 2022 at his home in Newton, Kansas. He was 89
years old. Frank was born and raised in Sterling, Kansas, where he
lettered in football, basketball, and track and field, and played the
clarinet in high school. He attended the University of Kansas, where
he met his wife of 61 years, Sondra Jean Long Chesky, of Newton, and
graduated from KU Medical School in 1959. He then entered the U.S.
Army, serving in South Korea and stateside, completing flight surgeon
training at Naval Air Command in Pensacola, Florida and a psychiatry
residency at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. He treated many
returning Vietnam War soldiers while stationed at Fort Ord in
California and Fort Lewis in Washington. He left the Army in 1970 and
moved to Topeka, Kansas, where he practiced at the Menninger
Foundation. In 1976, he moved to the Houston, Texas area and
practiced psychiatry there for 27 years, specializing in trauma
disorders. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves, retiring as a
colonel. After retirement, he moved to Halstead, Kansas in 2003 and
to Newton in 2016. He served on the board of the Kansas Learning
Center for Health, was active in the Halstead Lions Club, and sang in
the First Christian Church of Newton?s choir and the Golden Notes
choir. A lifelong learner, Frank was an avid reader and history buff.
He held a deep love for his home state of Kansas, especially its
small towns and rural landscapes. Courthouses, grain elevators, and
train depots sparked his joy. A dedicated KU sports fan, he suffered
through the fall and looked forward to basketball season for most of
his life. (Thank you, Jayhawks, for giving him one last championship
this year.) Above all, family was most important to him. He is
preceded in death by his wife, Sondra, and their infant son, Kent. He
is survived by children Robert Chesky of Newton, Sonya Hove (and
spouse Rick Hove) of Durham, North Carolina, Laurel Chesky of Austin,
Texas, and Tyler Chesky (and spouse Kristina Thielen) of Newport
Center, Vermont; nine grandchildren; four greatgrandchildren, and two
on the way. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, Dec. 1, at 2
p.m. at the First Christian Church of Newton, 102 E. 1st St., Newton,
KS 67114. Donations can be made in Frank?s name to the Kansas
Learning Center for Health.
