Mr. Frank F. Woschitz

Frank Woschitz, 89, passed away Sunday, April 1, 2018. Frank was blessed with a wonderful life. He was the consummate family man, mentor to many and friend to all. He was a difference maker. Frank was born June 12, 1928 in Gary, IN to Anna (Tschoppe) and Joseph F. Woschitz and grew up there with his brother, Bob. He graduated from Horace Mann High School in 1946. He then attended Indiana University, receiving Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Delta Chi honors, graduating with a B.A. in Journalism in 1950. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War from 1951-1953 . He completed his Masters in Journalism in 1960 at IU. Upon his return from the military, he began his work career at Anderson High School teaching history, journalism, and was the faculty sponsor for the school newspaper, the X-Ray, and the AHS yearbook. Under his tutelage, the Indian Yearbook received All-American Honors for 16 consecutive years. In 1965, Frank accepted a position as a yearbook publisher representative with Herff Jones. Frank then worked as executive director of the Anderson Chamber of Commerce, remaining in that position for the next nine years. On January 1st, 1978, Frank accepted a new position in Washington, D.C. with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). He became the Executive Director of Public Relations for the NFLPA and remained in this position until his retirement in 2002. Frank’s initial job with the Player’s Association was to oversee union publications and serve as the union’s primary contact with the media, but when Woschitz helped establish the NFLPA Retired Players Association, his duties shifted. He became the Staff Director of this organization in the 1980s. During his remaining tenure, the NFLPA retired players’ membership grew exponentially and quickly became a strong force within the union’s structure. Under his leadership, the group successfully lobbied to have the Pre-59ers included in the player pension and to have pension benefits improved across the board for all retired players. In addition to the numerous gains made under Frank’s leadership, he started many programs, including the Retired Players Annual Convention, a player wellness initiative (including free heart screenings for members) and a business networking program. Recently he was elected to the NFLPA Hall of Fame Class of 2017 which included Kermit Alexander, Doug Allen, Pat Allen, Trace Armstrong, Dave Duerson, Sam McCullum, Freeman McNeil, Marvin Powell, and Reggie White. In 1956, he married Patsy Ann Collins and they were blessed with 61 years of marriage and three children, ten grandchildren and one great granddaughter: son, Joseph F. (wife Michelle) Woschitz, daughter, Janet L. (husband, Brian) Dunn, and son, David M. (wife, Linda) Woschitz; grandchildren, Michael Woschitz (deceased), Ryan Woschitz (wife, Jessica), Brittany Woschitz Neff (husband, Sam), Meghan Dunn, Olivia Dunn, Patrick Dunn, Eric Woschitz, Marissa Woschitz, Karleigh Davenport, Wynnie Almquist and great granddaughter, Skylar Woschitz. Extended family, brother, Robert (wife, Janice) Woschitz; nephews, Dan (wife, Patti) Woschitz and Karl Woschitz; great niece and nephew Jill and Luke Woschitz; daughter-in-law Debbie Woschitz; brother-in-laws Ross Collins, Nick Collins and James (son, Jimmy) Collins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Anna Woschitz and his grandson, Michael Joseph Woschitz. His life was enriched by his family, countless friends, love of books, education, travel and sports. Frank was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Anderson. He was a lifelong fan of the Chicago White Sox and was well known to everyone as the greatest Green Bay Packer fan ever. Services will be at 2:00 p.m.Saturday, April 7, at First Presbyterian Church, 230 W. 9th St., with Reverend Kevin Bausman officiating. Burial will be at East Maplewood Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4-8 pm Friday, April 6 at Brown-Butz-Diedring Funeral Service & Crematory. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church, Madison County Historical Society, or to the Paramount Symphony.