I loved the Frank, he claimed to his dying day that I stole the idea of having a flea market every month at Mag park from him. I knew Frank for 15 years and he always called me "that God Damned Linda morrison". He hated me at first site, and I was determined to make him a friend. In the end, or towards the end we had to let each other go. Frank had demons that I wanted no part of. But there are a few things I know for sure about Frank Olivo, he was a great junker. A true original. He was tidy beyond anything I could ever understand, he was proud of his kids, and he loved Virginia.
Last week end I was in Southern California doing Remnants of the Past, and I was thinking about how much Frank would of loved to have been there. A bit later as I was helping a couple with their purchases I saw someone who looked like Frank, small hispanic men are not unusual in S Cal, so I continued what I was doing and then a second later looked again. And it was him, Frank, in his pressed chinos, blue work coat and collared shirt and baseball hat. He gave me the stink eye that always proceeded, that God Damned Linda Morrison and faded into the crowd.
Frank has left the market.
I had only met Frank the week before at Fremont Mkt, I had seen him many times. He came around several times. I thought he was kind of gruff but also very interesting and kind, all the while carrying his little girl Luella. RIP Frank, you are missed and will be for years to come.
ReplyDeleteI just found this page while trying to find some info about an annual sale that happens in Anacortes (Flotsam Days?). It was a sale that Frank had told me about and I wanted to see if I could get a space there, to offer some of my few things for sale. This is the first that I heard of Frank's passing. I've known Frank for decades and remember when he and Roberta were together here in Snohomish County. I don't get to the Fremont Sunday Mkt much these days. The cost of being there has more than quadrupled since the first time that spoke to John about opening his weekly craft event up to junk sellers like me and Frank and a host of others that I know. I did get a chance to see Frank there a couple of times last year. I always went over to visit with him. Frank was a sweet man and a hard core junker. These days, my path has carried me away from focusing heavily on junking, into offering music and art but I still make an annual trip or two out and about with a van full of stuff to various swap meets and annual sales locations like the Fremont. My next visit there will feel far less familiar without Frank to chat and swap stories with. This is the second time in as many years that I've had to learn of a friend's passing via a random search on the internet. Reg Miles
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