Benjamin Franklin Karrass
December 18, 1930 - June 27, 2016

Benjamin Franklin Karrass, Ph.D., was born on December 18, 1930 to Benno Karrass and Emma Lorenz Karrass in Fentress, Texas and passed away to join God, his heavenly father, on June 27, 2016. As Frank liked to say, If you know where San Marcos is and then go outside of San Marcos and keep going until there are no other towns, that was where I was born. Frank was raised in a rural setting and enjoyed the outdoors, especially playing in the pastures as a child and shooting his .22 rifle at old stumps.

At the young age of 14, he began his fast-pitch softball career as a pitcher, playing until he was 65 years of age, striking out 3 generations of softball players in the same family. He stated that he was not an athlete but only a ball player. He won the World Series in 1959 as the winning pitcher, the year that his future wife, Marsha, was born. After he retired from pitching, he began an active hobby of Cowboy Action Shooting, under the alias of Zapata.

Frank entered the military in 1948 and proudly completed his Air Force career in 1971. He was originally stationed in the United States and met his wife, Betty, mother of son Dean. His military career continued and he traveled the world and he visited Canada, Japan, England and Germany, with wife Sylvia June, mother of Denise and Janis. He left the military at age 41 and began his life as a student, completing his bachelors, Masters and doctoral degrees at The University of Texas in 1981. He worked as a psychologist at Austin State Hospital, retiring in 1993 and moving to Wyoming to work in the Veterans Administration Hospital in Cheyenne. He returned to Austin in 1995 and continued to work as a psychologist until age 72. He always claimed that he was a recovering psychologist.

Frank married Marsha Weichold Karrass and began the last chapter of his life in Austin in 1995. Frank was a romantic at heart, exchanging love letters and love notes throughout the day with Marsha and was determined to be the last one to say I love you every night to Marsha and his beloved Rat Terriers, Willie and Millie. There was to be a celebration of the blessing of marital vows on July 1st and 3rd, as Frank and Marsha asked each other constantly to marry each other, again and again.

Frank had a tendency to tell stories, which sounded almost real. When his mustached wiggled, one knew he was telling a Frankism, a tall tale. He had a quiet belief in God and Christ and joined Holy Cross Lutheran Church upon returning to Austin. Frank was very proud of his children, Franklin Dean Karrass, wife Sharon, Denise Karrass Kovar, husband Gary, and Jan Karrass.

He is survived by his wife, Marsha; his children, Dean, Denise and Janis; his grandchildren, Ben, Kerianne, Allison, Coleridge, Zachary, and Olivia; his great- grandchildren, Abbigayle, Morrigan and Nolan; nephews, Karl, wife Emily and Kurt, wife Michelle; and of course, the Ratties, Willie and Millie, who visited Frank nightly at Monte Siesta. He was loved by neighbors and friends and all those that he touched.

To acknowledge all those that have blessed Frank and his family would be endless, from neighbors and friends, to the church, doctors and staff at Monte Siesta Nursing and Rehabilitation.

Honorary pallbearers are Ben Karrass, Coleridge Hausen, Zachary Kovar, Mark Weichold, Karl Weichold, Kurt Weichold, C.J. McCullum, and Jim Schraffath.

In celebration of Franks life, a memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, July 2, 2016, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 4622 South Lamar, Austin, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the American Cancer Society or the charitable organization of choice.

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