Frank was born in Blackburn on 12^th September 1932, the only child of Margaret and Jim Sandford. From a young age he was taken to Bentham Road Methodist Chapel, where he soon became steeped in Methodism. Leaving school at fourteen, Frank secured a seven year apprenticeship in coach building with the East Lancashire Coach Builders. At the age of 21 he joined the Military Police for his National Service, spending most of it based in Woking, where he joined in the life of Knaphill Methodist Church.

After two years Frank returned to Blackburn and to his work with the coach builders. He soon became involved again in the life of the local church and circuit and on a visit to the Blackburn Methodist Mission he met Margaret Wood. They started going out in September 1956 and married a year later, setting up home in Blackburn. Frank started worshipping at the Blackburn Mission, where he soon took on a variety of responsibilities which more than filled his spare time. Patricia was born in Blackburn and when she was a little older Frank and Margaret acquired a hardware shop for Margaret to run, later selling mostly fancy goods. Meanwhile, Frank was contemplating a change of career and the possibility of becoming a teacher, so with that in mind he set about taking some ‘O’ and ‘A’ level exams, but ended up in the Social Security Department instead. Then an opening appeared for him to join the Probation Service and with some training through Leeds University he became a Probation Officer in Burnley. Having been on holiday to the Isle of Man on a number of occasions, Frank always fostered the dream of working there. By the late seventies Community Service programmes had been introduced into the Probation Service and Frank saw an opportunity to help set up the scheme on the Island, so he and Margaret moved over there, leaving Trisha on the mainland to pursue a career in nursing.

In the mid eighties Frank was appointed to work in the courts in Preston and then later at the prison, so he and Margaret moved back to the mainland and bought a house in Broughton. For a time they continued their links with Blackburn, but gradually became involved in Fulwood Methodist Church, where his practical skills had been recognised. He became a Church Steward, also stewarded at weddings and funerals, and was a great supporter of the Wednesday morning prayers and communion. The friendships developed here were strong and much appreciated by Frank, but the church had always been a place of service and throughout his life he’d turned his hand to all sorts of roles, particularly youth work in his younger days at Blackburn and Woking.

Frank was a very practical man, undertaking lots of DIY at home and rebuilding cars, especially his beloved Morris Minor Traveller. But he was also a bit of an action man. Having built a motor boat in Blackburn, he went on to buy a sailing boat and would take them to the Lake District. He went fishing, played tennis and even had a shot at water skiing - not his most successful activity! Retiring in 1994, Frank and Margaret had the freedom to make a number of trips across the Atlantic to visit Tricia and her husband Paul, who gone to live there after a spell in Canada. It also gave them the opportunity to spend time with their grandchildren. Then about five years ago, whilst on a visit to the USA, Frank became ill and it was clear when he returned home that his health was not good. Frank cut back on his activities, which was difficult as he had never been unwell, and then three years ago the impact of Frank’s failing health really started to show. The last three years were a real struggle for Frank, with periods in hospital and additional support needed at home, but throughout he hung onto the strength gained from the times he was able to share in the life of the church. When a place became available in St Catherine’s Hospice in December Frank moved in and soon settled, feeling comfortable and secure in the surroundings, but his health continued to decline. Frank had prepared himself for his death, talking openly and honestly and he slipped away very peacefully in the early hours of New Year’s Day. It was a real blessing that he never lost his dignity and neither was it a struggle at the end.