Thomas Franklin “Frank” Saffold, 101, passed away Sept. 26, 2021, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His long life and enduring faith leave a legacy of love, strength and service. Frank loved people, loved to learn, and loved serving others. He was born Jan. 22, 1920, in Vidalia, son of Col. Albert Clopton and Estelle Collins Saffold.
Frank was preceded in death by his first spouse, Betty Fulton, and their daughter, Meredith Rae “Dee;” and by his second wife, Doris Egbert. He will be deeply missed by his surviving children, Thomas Franklin Saffold Jr. “Thom” (Liz), daughters Susan Saffold, Barbara Sheffer (Gordon), Amy Scheuring (Tom) and Janet Saffold; eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren by his second spouse; and two granddaughters and a great-grandson by his first spouse.
Frank graduated from Vidalia High School in 1936 and from Georgia Tech in 1941 with a B.S. in electrical engineering. He was employed for 41 years by Westinghouse Electric Corporation starting as a design engineer in their transformer division. Assigned early in 1942 to a group doing WWII-related work, his specialty was design of pulse transformers and other electromagnetic devices for military radar for which he was deferred from military draft. In 1957, he was selected to attend the 4th Middle Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Retiring from Westinghouse in 1982, he moved to St. Marys, which became his and Dorie’s home for over 40 years. He was employed by the Navy submarine base command as an electrical engineer during the construction of the Trident Submarine Base. He retired from the Navy in 1992 at age 72.
In his younger years, Frank enjoyed canoeing, camping and holidays with his wife Dorie and their five children (favorite place was Assateague Island, Maryland) and listening to music. Concerns over the changes in public education led to his election to the North Allegheny (Pennsylvania) School Board in 1977.
In later years, Frank was passionate about the Saffold family genealogy and worked alongside many family members to trace his history to the earliest documented Saffold descendant who settled in Surry County, Virginia, in 1712.
Frank had strong Christian beliefs and was a follower of Jesus Christ. He was an active churchman at Franklin Park Baptist Church while living in Pittsburgh and at St. Marys United Methodist in St. Marys. Gifts in memory of Frank can be directed to St. Marys United Methodist Church in St. Marys.
Burial will be at Pinecrest Cemetery, Vidalia. Arrangements by Schellhaas Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Ltd., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Please offer condolences at www.schellhaasfh.com.