Robert Franklin Fairchild Sr.

Robert Franklin "Frank" Fairchild, 73, of Idaho Falls, passed away peacefully Saturday, August 24, 2019. Formerly of Wilkes County, North Carolina, he was the son of Robert Paul Fairchild and Ruth Ailene Ferguson Fairchild.

After graduating from West Wilkes High School, Frank joined the Navy to serve in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. A southern boy who came to Southeast Idaho for prototype, Frank met and married Patricia "Pat" Larsen, of Ririe, on October 19, 1966. Their marriage was solemnized on May 6, 1976 in the Idaho Falls Temple. While in the military, they lived in Idaho, Virginia, Connecticut, South Carolina, and Florida. Before his military retirement in 1985, Frank rose to the rank of Machinist Mate Senior Chief while serving onboard ballistic missile submarines. In later years, Frank and Pat enjoyed traveling all around the nation while working in commercial nuclear power plants. He was a particularly talented instructor of health physics, as memorialized by so many of his former students.

Frank is survived by his loving wife; their three sons, Robert "Bob" F. (Pam) Fairchild II of Patterson, CA, Brian S. (Juli) Fairchild of Columbia, MO, and Gregory R. (Taryn) Fairchild of Springfield, VA; 18 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and two grandsons, Seth Fairchild and Jonathan Fairchild.

Raised in the Baptist Church, Frank joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an adult. Services will be held at 4:00 pm Friday, August 30, 2019, at Eckersell Funeral Home, Rigby. The family will visit with friends the hour prior, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Interment will be at a later time in the Davis Memorial Baptist Church Cemetery, Wilkesboro, NC.

Family and friends are invited to share thoughts and memories with the Fairchild family via email at frankfair@hotmail.com. In lieu of flowers, donations on Frank's behalf to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation at https://msfocus.org/Donate.aspx would be appreciated.