GOOG BYE TO A GOOD FRIEND

- JERRY S MICHAELS, Savannah, Georgia

May the Perpetual Light Shine Upon Him...

- Bill Harvey, Appomattox , VA

I worked with Frank for many years. He was a very fun upstanding religious caring professional person. He will be sorely missed.

- Thomas D Martin, Savannah, Georgia

Frank was a kind and generous man. He will be missed by those who knew and loved him.

- Peggy McGee, Savannah, GA

I served in the Navy with Frank on the 1970 Mediterranean Cruise aboard the USS FDR. We became good friends and had lots of good times. We've stayed in touch all these years. Frank was a straight laced southern Baptist and never wavered one bit from his faith in God. He was a very honorable man and faithful friend. My condolences to the entire family and Linda Weeks. God be with you all.

- Joe Snodgrass, New Palestine, Indiana

We are brothers forever. My sons, Louis III and Frank Douglas Harkins, and I miss you and look forward to the future together with you. .

- Louis Harkins, Savannah, GA 31406

A candle has been lit!

Rest well in heavenly peace my brother and friend. Franks sincere kindness, humor and huge heart will be missed. It was an honor to have worked alongside him at the Savannah Police Department for over 20 years. Even after our perspective retirements, we all kept in touch over the phone and would meet for birthday luncheons. This was a tradition Frank started some 25 years back.

- Brenda Harvey, Savannah, GA

Frank was a good man who showed uncommon kindness and generosity towards friends and others. He received great satisfaction from helping people. He was a true and loyal friend and a very important part of my life. May he rest in peace.

- Les Carter, Savannah, GA

As a very dear friend and cousin, you will be missed in this life on earth but look forward to our heavenly eternal home! We go way back to Ardsley Park Church.

- Rhonda & Marvin Patterson, Bluffton, SC

My thoughts and prayers are with all of you. Mr Frank was a wonderful man with such a kind heart. He will be missed by us all.

- Melanie Weeks Munoz, Gales Ferry, cT

We all worked for the city where we met Frank. We just found out about his passing. Be encouraged and know that God is with you.

- Ej and regina thomas, Savannah, Ga

Frank was the first contact I had with SPD when I arrived in Savannah in 1976. For all these years he has remained a loyal and valued friend, an outstanding man. I'm glad he is at peace.

- James G Beck, Donalds, SC

It's been a year since Frank left us and few, if any, days go by that I don't think of him.

- Les Carter, Savannah, GA

Frank and I knew each other in high school but didn´t become close friends until in our thirties. He was best man in Beth's and my wedding. He was a good listener and spent many hours with me during some rough patches in my life. And I could call him any hour of the day or night. He was also always willing to lend a helping hand. When I was going to a Halloween party and trying to come up with a costume he suggested and loaned me his old Navy uniform. After I started working downtown he gave me many rides home for years but never would take any payment. Once when selling a house I asked him to help with some final clearing out and cleaning on Sunday afternoon before final inspection on Monday. After a couple of hours it became obvious things weren't progressing as expected so Frank recruited mutual friend Tom to help. Then I ran into some unexpected carpentry work which made things worse. Frank and Tom stuck with me until getting everything squared away around 4AM the next morning! The inspection went well but no telling how things would have turned out had it not been for them. Frank was a sticker about things. He wouldn't leave home unless perfectly dressed for the occasion, and if there was even the slightest chance of rain you could be sure he took his umbrella. If I met him for lunch without tucking in my shirttail, wearing a belt, or even buttoning the buttons on a button-down collar he wanted to know why. If I was overdue for a haircut he might have something to say about that. I remember him being less than pleased once when my father called him "Harkins" but he held his tongue about that. At Carey Hilliard´s Restaurant he was known not as Frank or Mr. Harkins but as "Mr. Frank," not because he was a stickler but out of respect and friendliness. Speaking of restaurants Frank was always ready to eat by the time he got to one and I remember on more than one occasion when food didn´t arrive in a timely manner he would blurt out "I'm hungry!" when the server got within earshot. Or sometimes he would say "Call Fox and Weeks!" When asked why he would say because he was "about to starve to death!" Both approaches worked well. Regarding food, he was always very complimentary when having meals at people's homes. Frank was well liked and respected at the Savannah Police Department and enjoyed being in on workplace fun and camaraderie. It's been said he was known for doing a little soft shoe there. Also regarding fun and camaraderie, someone played around with the first letters of his name and started calling him "Hank Farkins." The name stuck and he embraced it and even got a Hank Farkins nameplate for his desk. One of the ladies in his office, Teresa, referred to him as her "work husband." After retiring he kept in touch and got them together on birthdays and other occasions. I think I heard that he treated all of them too. Frank could be gruff but he was kind and generous. Something he did when driving past hospitals was say a prayer for the patients. He got a lot of satisfaction out of helping others. We were waiting outside Sears' auto department for work to be done on his car when a guy came along asking for money for food. Instead of giving him any Frank took time to walk him to the restaurant next door and pay for his lunch. Frank returned shortly and after a little while the guy came back asking for beer money, however, Frank passed on that. On another occasion he learned someone was less than pleased with the attention their mother was receiving in a nursing home. So Frank recruited a police captain to accompany him to simply drop in on her one afternoon. A policeman in uniform really got the staff´s attention and as I understood it were stumbling all over themselves trying to figure out why one was there. They weren´t given a clear answer, but care improved considerably. Years ago in a conversation I had with Frank's father, Mr. Harkins mentioned being with Mrs. Harkins at a big formal function in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Savannah. People were in evening dresses and coats and ties and a young kid happened in from the street. When in close proximity to Mr. Harkins the kid said something disparaging about such a high-class event. Without missing a beat Mr. Harkins said "I wouldn't know anything about that, I'm just the house detective." The brash kid quickly exited the hotel. The reason I mention this is because Frank also had a quick wit, no doubt thanks in part to his father. The aforementioned are just some of our many and varied experiences. People knew where they stood with Frank, and he was one of a kind. In high school I had no idea what an integral part of my life he would become - I couldn´t have asked for a truer or more loyal friend.

- Les Carter, Savannah, GA