Frank D. Kornelsen

Funeral services for Frank D. Kornelsen will be held Thursday, May 22, 2025 at 2:00 PM at the First Baptist Church of Prague, Oklahoma. Interment will follow at the Boley Mennonite Church Cemetery. Frank D. Kornelsen, 74 years of Prague, OK passed away peacefully in his sleep on May 18, 2025 at 6:18 am in Little Rock, AR, surrounded by his loving family. He was born on April 9, 1951 in Mexico to Ben and Anna Kornelsen. He was blessed to be born, the 7th child, in a family of 10 children. Frank grew up on a dairy farm in Mexico where he developed an interest in steel building construction. In his youth he gave his life to the Lord and was baptized in his teens. From this point forward, his faith became a vital part of who he was. In August of 1973 he married Roseline Plett, the love of his life. Four years later in 1977, they moved to Oklahoma. They were blessed with 5 children, 2 girls and 3 boys. Frank was very active in different committees in the church, including the office of Deacon for almost 29 years at the Boley Mennonite Church. For many years he did custom haying and harvesting, including ranching. Eventually he became co-owner of Prague Ready Mix where they batched and delivered concrete. In 1996 he decided to sell the concrete business and started constructing steel buildings. This turned into a successful business called Circle K Steel Buildings, which he was actively involved in until he was forced to retire 4 years ago when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer in Spring of 2021. As was typical of him, he took the diagnosis in stride and without complaint, and fought the cancer aggressively. In his 4 year battle against this dreadful cancer, he had numerous hospital stays, 2 stem cell transplants, and many, many pain filled days. We believe he suffered more than we realized because he never complained. At one point in this battle, he spent 4 months in Little Rock, AR under the expert care of the exceptional staff at the UAMS hospital. A special thanks to Dr. McMinn of Oklahoma City, OK and Dr. Van Rhee of Little Rock, AR for the excellent care they provided over the last 4 years. In April of this year, he was admitted in the hospital in OKC with pneumonia. After several weeks of struggling to breathe and experiencing incredible weakness, he was transferred to the UAMS hospital in Little Rock, AR as it became apparent that that something bigger was happening. Here we learned that he had limited time left due to acute myeloid leukemia. Within 24 hours of this diagnosis, Frank succumbed to this new and powerful cancer and passed away peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his family. Frank had a deep relationship with his heavenly Father, which was evident throughout his entire life in the way he loved his wife and family, as well as in all his relations whether business or personal. Frank is survived by his wife of 51 years, Roseline; 5 children – Rhonda of TX, Bob (Laurie) of OK, Donald (Myrna) of OK, Clifford (Margaret) of OK, Staycie (Randy) of OK; 25 grandchildren - Cody, Justin, Laramie, Ryan, Jared, Rashawna, Colton, Caleb, Brooklynn, Austin, Shaelen, Deandre, Shane, Leron, Landon, Michelle, Wynstin, Stetson, Abigail, Ethan, Tanner, Krista, and Rebekah all of OK; Courtney and Jordan of TX; 9 siblings – Lorna, Sara, Milton, Larry (Anna), Edwin (Justina), Allen (Doreen), Myrna (Abram) all of MX; Betty, Elvira (Norman) both of OK. He was preceded in death by both parents, Ben and Anna Kornelsen. We all treasure the time we had with our beloved husband, Dad, and Grandpa. He will be greatly missed by each of us. His family was important to him, and he valued each of the grandchildren and had a special bond with them. Frank will be deeply missed by his wife and family. The world has lost a great man, but heaven gained a saint! Services will be under the direction of Parks Brothers Funeral Home, Okemah, Oklahoma.

Frank D. Kornelsen

April 9, 1951 - May 18, 2025