Frank Wynerth Summers, Ii

Abbeville—A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 12:30 PM on Saturday, September 17, 2022 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church honoring the life of Frank Wynerth Summers II, 79, passed away on the morning of September 11, in the company of his family, after a long struggle with complications of pulmonary fibrosis. God blessed him with a beautiful end to an extraordinary life. He will be laid to rest at St. Mary Magdalen Cemetery with Father Michael Richard officiating.   Pallbearers will be Soren Spiehler; Michael, Anthony, Dominic, and Thomas VanVickle; and Eli and James Hindelang. Honorary pallbearers are Marcelo Davis, Judge Edwards, Ralph Martin, Andy Ringle, Raul Soto, Rene Maagad, and the men of Family Missions Company.

Frank was born in Abbeville, and deeply loved his hometown. The oldest child of Frank and Beverly Summers, he was a proud older brother to Preston, Susan, Jim, Will, and Missie. His father served as Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court. Beverly, his mother, fostered in him a remarkably kind and caring spirit. From his youth, Frank developed an enduring love of nature — fishing, hunting, and exploring the woods with his brothers. He enjoyed working on his family’s property at Forked Island and Big Woods, south of Abbeville.

Before entering law school at Tulane, he married his sweetheart, Genie Gremillion, and together they built a life of love and adventure. After the birth of their son, Frank “Beau” Summers III, they lived in London and Manhattan, as Frank’s pursuit of truth and justice led him to advanced degrees in law, a Master of Laws degree at King’s College and ABD Doctorate at Columbia University School of Law.

He became assistant District Attorney in Vermilion Parish. He and Genie’s professional lives flourished, even as their marriage struggled. Amid that difficulty, a profound encounter with Jesus’ love and mercy changed everything. Frank found the truth he always sought.

Giving their lives completely to Jesus saved Genie and Frank’s marriage. Soon after their encounter with Christ, he and Genie took God at His word, sold everything, and with their 10-year-old son, set out to follow Jesus’ command to “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation.”

“We serve a real God who does real things for real people in the real world,” Frank enthusiastically told anyone who listened. Their exceptional life is beautifully documented in Genie’s two books Go, You are Sent! and Our Family’s Book of Acts. Some highlights include preaching the Gospel and serving the poor in Tonga, American Samoa, Mexico, Colombia, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Micronesia. While home in Abbeville, they fellowshipped with Open Door Community and worked with the Christian Service Center. In their years of mission, Frank and Genie saw the blind healed, the lame walk, food multiplied, and countless other miracles of healing and provision. Frank preached the Gospel with parrhesia; he loved and served the poor with cheerful generosity. Communities the Summers helped to found around the world have grown to include hundreds of families, and chapels they helped to build still house thousands of worshippers. Most of the people who love Frank and were deeply loved by him will be unable to attend his funeral because they are the poorest of the poor in far distant lands. Frank’s humble yes and tireless service to the Gospel bore fruit, they love Jesus and know that He loves them.

Twenty-five years ago, Frank and Genie heard God call them to make available to others the glorious adventure they lived. Believing that foreign missionary activity is the greatest and holiest duty of the Church, they founded Family Missions Company. Dedicated to making disciples, preaching the Gospel, and serving the poor around the world by training, sending, and supporting Catholic singles and families to reach the ends of the earth, Family Missions Company has become the largest Catholic Lay Foreign Mission organization in the United States. Today, over 200 missionaries serve in the US and in 10 countries around the world. Countless people are walking with Jesus, countless poor are loved and served, because Frank Summers gave his life to the Lord.

During their decades of service in foreign missions, Frank and Genie had six more children — Sarah, Susanna, Mary, Simon-Peter, Joseph, and John Paul. Every day, Frank picked up his guitar and Bible to praise God with his family. He loved to laugh with his kids; he took them bird watching, hunting, and fishing; brought them to distant villages to share Jesus, carrying them on his shoulders before they could walk; and protected them from venomous snakes (by picking the snakes up by the tail and smacking their heads against trees). He enjoyed teaching them math, encouraged them in all their endeavors, and loved each of them individually and unconditionally.

While he and Genie were changing the world together, he relished holding hands, praying, and dancing to Ray Charles with her; and until the very end, lit up when he talked about his sweetheart. He gave his whole life to Jesus, and always put his family first.

Our family would like to thank everyone for the abundant support of the community in Acadiana, and around the world. Frank was treasured by so many who poured out their love to us in his final days.

Frank is survived by his wife of 59 years, Genie Summers; their seven children Frank Summers III (fiancée, Clara Duhon), Sarah Granger (Kevin), Susanna VanVickle (Michael), Mary Hindelang (Chris), Simon-Peter Summers, Joseph Summers (Brooke), and John Paul Summers (Jill); as well as his 27 grandchildren, Alyse, Anika, Soren, Isaac, Isabel, Jonah, Esmé, Michael, Anthony, Dominic, Thomas, Marisa, Eli, James, Cecilia, Naomi, Josie, Anthony, Benjamin, Samuel, Asher, Philip, Levi, Elliott, Oliver, Sophie, and Hazel; and his siblings Preston Summers, Susan Summers, Clay James Summers, and Missie Smith.

Frank is preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Beverly Summers, and his brother, Will.

A gathering of friends and family will be held on Friday, September 16, 2022 from 4:00 PM until 9:00 PM at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville. A rosary will be prayed by Family Missions Company Missionaries at 6:30 PM on Friday, followed by a celebration of praise. Visitation will continue on Saturday, September 17, 2022, from 9:00 AM until 12:15 PM when the procession will depart for the church.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Memoriam to Family Missions Company (www.familymissionscompany.com/frank-summers).