Obituary of Frank Taylor Wyatt

away on Wednesday, August 24, 2011, at the age of 80. Mr. Wyatt was born and raised in Texas; a proud Longhorn, he obtained his degree in chemistry at the University of Texas. He served several years in the Navy, and then embarked on a long and rewarding career in the defense industry, which included an 8.5 year stint living and working in Bavaria, Germany. Frank had many interests: beekeeping, homesteading, emergency preparedness, woodcarving, cooking, photography, sourdough, energy conservation, shopping at Fry's, Willie Nelson. But his true passion was amateur radio. Frank earned the first of several amateur radio licenses in 1950, but he was best known by a call-sign he had personalized for himself: N6FW. Over the years, Frank met hundreds of fellow hams over the airwaves. Many of these meetings turned into long-lasting friendships. A true teacher and mentor at heart, Frank was happiest when sharing his beloved hobby with others. He introduced many friends and family members to the art of radio operating; after years of nudging, he was even able to convince his wife Julie, KC6DLE, to get her license. Frank was particularly adept at applying his favorite hobby to emergency response; after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, he spent many weeks in Watsonville coordinating communications between emergency relief groups. Frank is survived by his wife of 40 years, Julie, and their daughter, Lisa; his son James and daughter Lee; and eight grandchildren: Cameron, Taylor, Bryce, Gretel, Gustav, Gehrig, AnnaSophia, and Ian. A celebration of Frank's life will be held later this autumn.