Frank Scolari
Dec. 21, 1931-Aug. 28, 2020

Frank passed away at his home on August 28. He was born in Salinas, California to Dionisio (Dan) and Mary Scolari.

His early childhood began in and around Mission Soledad until the family moved to San Jose. As the morning dawn would break, he and his siblings could be found working in the orchards before school picking fruit to earn money.

Frank met the love of his life, Carol Meidinger, in junior high school in 1949 and soon after started “going steady.” They spent 71 wonderful years together, 68 of those as husband and wife.

They bought their first home in San Jose and filled it with five children. He worked several jobs and later opened a car lot, San Jose Auto Mart. He kept this until changing career paths to open a furniture store, Scolari’s Custom Decor. In 1971, becoming weary of the ever-expanding city of San Jose and the growing smog conditions, Frank and Carol set out in search of a new place to live and a new lifestyle. Primarily searching the California coast north of the bay area, they discovered Eureka.

Frank loved the people and the beauty of Humboldt County and from the moment he moved his family here, this became his home for life. Quickly purchasing a home with 3 acres on Elk River Road, the Scolari family had plenty of room for fun and animals including horses, goats, chickens and a St. Bernard named Heidi.

To feed his family, Frank soon got a job at Harper Motors which at the time was located at 6th & B in Eureka. He later re-invented himself and became a realtor/broker. He worked at Cutten Realty, opened his own brokerage (Scolari Realty) and finally ended up at Coldwell Banker Cutten Realty. Of all the careers that Frank had in life he was the happiest and most successful connecting his clients to their homes. He had many clients that came back time and again as he always worked hard to satisfy his clients needs and wishes. His real estate colleagues learned a lot from Frank and always had nice things to say about him.

He was a member of Elks Lodge and Humboldt Association of Realtors and served on several boards including RREDC and Humboldt Community Services District which he intended to step down from this December after 25 years of service.

With a pair of season passes, for decades, Frank and at least one of his now adult kids would travel to Candlestick Park on Sunday mornings to cheer on our favorite football team, the 49ers. During these long hours behind the wheel, he would speak of his earlier years and family history. He was also eager to listen to things going on with us and offer his input if needed.

Frank also adopted and invested in the community of Brookings, Oregon by purchasing a few properties for his family to enjoy. He and Carol would “escape” to this Oregon coastal town often for weeks at a time. They enjoyed the community of Brookings, the beach and all the beauty, peace and tranquility the Oregon coast offers. Frank, of course was also a board member of the home-owners association in Brookings.

In 2015, Frank and his son Xeff, took the last North Coast Honor Flight to leave Humboldt County. In honor of his service in the Army during the Korean War, Frank was touched by this organization that transports the military veterans of previous wars to Washington DC to visit veteran’s memorials.

Frank enjoyed reading and the books that he read often were passed around the family for all to read. We are blessed to have had Frank as our patriarch for so many years. He believed in family first, and to love God and country.

Frank often said “It’s not the quantity of life, it’s the quality of life” - he managed to get both.

The Scolari family would like to thank Christi and Edgar of Hospice of Humboldt and Jessie for their loving care during Frank’s final months.

Frank is survived by his wife of 68 years, Carol Scolari and his children Steven Scolari (Toni), Linda Powell (Cliff), Xeff Scolari (Stephanie) and Carolyn Barnhart (Brandon). He leaves behind 22 Grandchildren/Great Grandchildren and his brother-in-law and great friend, Dick Meidinger. He also leaves one of his closest friends, Joe Thompson, with whom he shared lunch and good conversation nearly every Wednesday.

He was preceded in death by his parents Dionisio Arturo Scolari and Mary Fernandes Scolari, his son Richard Scolari, his brothers Dan and Doug Scolari, sister-in-law Dawn Meidinger and his dear friend and colleague, Don Tonini.

A celebration of life will be planned at a future date due to Covid-19 health concerns.

If you’d like, please consider a memorial contribution to Hospice of Humboldt or Humboldt Senior Resource Center or a local charity of your choice.