Frank Raney

Frank Raney - Frank Raney (Thomas Francis Raney III) passed away on December 30, 2009 in Santa Rosa, the only son of Frank and Margarite Raney. His great-grandfather, Thomas Francis Raney was the first mayor of Napa in the 1850s. His step-mother Maxine Raney, was a positive, loving, and life-long influence on his life. Frank was Past Master of the Petaluma Masonic Lodge No. 180 and past â??Big Sirâ?? of Sons in Retirement in Sebastopol. Loved and appreciated by everyone he knew, Frank was known for his great sense of humor, his integrity and his devotion to his family and friends. A Visitation will be held on Saturday, January 9, 2010 from 1-5 PM at Parent-Sorensen Mortuary and Crematory, 850 Keokuk St. Petaluma. A Funeral Service and Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 2:00 PM at the mortuary. Private Entombment will be at Santa Rosa Memorial Park. Contributions in his memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, Sonoma County Unit, 1451 Guerneville Rd., Ste. 220, Santa Rosa, CA 95403, or The Redwood Empire Food Bank, 3320 Industrial Dr., Santa Rosa, CA 95403 or your favorite charity. Frank was born November 3, 1936 in Petaluma. He attended Petaluma schools, Santa Rosa JC and graduated from San Jose State University with a major in PE. He received his MA Degree and administrative credential from UC Berkeley. Frank married Donna Casarotti in 1953 and they had four children. Frank excelled in school and was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society while at the same time working three jobs to support his family. Frank started his career in education as a PE teacher in 1959 and later as Vice Principal at Kenilworth Junior High School in Petaluma and Principal of Hill Junior High in Novato. The Hill School PTA awarded Frank the Life Service Award for his service to the school and to the community after two years as Principal. In 1970, Frank and his family moved to Australia. After sharing the adventure of touring Australia with his family for six months, Frank became Superintendent of the Riverbank Maximum Security Institution for Juvenile Male Offenders in Perth. Three years later he returned to Sonoma County and served as an administrator of Cook Junior High and Reed School in Marin before becoming Superintendent of Oak Grove School District near Sebastopol. In 1983 he married Patty Bush. Frank retired as Superintendent/Business Manager from the St. Helena School District in Napa County in 1990. Frank was honored by the California Legislature in 1990 for the advances the district made under his superb leadership making St. Helena one of the five top districts in the state on several quality indicators. He was also named Servant of the Year by the St. Helena Rotary Club in recognition of personal performance in the highest degree. Throughout his career, Frank accepted positions where the school districts were experiencing extreme financial or personnel problems and the school board was looking for a person with strong leadership skills to implement significant change. Frank loved the challenge of pulling people together to solve complex problems and setting a positive and financially stable direction for the district. His intellect and common sense were exceptional, and his sense of justice and adherence to high moral principles guided all of his decisions. Frankâ??s wisdom and insight were also appreciated by his family. Dad was the â??go-toâ?