Obituary Frome, Victor J, MAJ. USA (RET) of Kirkwood, age 79, fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church, passed away peacefully on the evening of November 16, 2023 from bladder cancer and dementia. He is survived by his beloved wife Karen, loving son Christopher (Sheila) and siblings Bill and Julianna Frome of Madison, Wisconsin. Vic is preceded in death by his son Thomas Frome of St. Louis. Parents Julia (Nitecki) and Victor J Frome SR, siblings, Donald Frome, Betty Jacobs, Helen Krueger, Dave Frome, Kathy Brown all of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Vic has many nieces, nephew, cousins and friends from the military scattered all over the country. He was born on New Years Eve 1943 to Julia and Victor in Cudahy, Wisconsin. There was always the running joke that he put his mother in the hospital so she missed the New Years Eve party or he was the last-minute year-end tax deduction. But she always said she hoped he would have been the first baby of the New Year to get free baby food. Born into this large Swedish/Polish and very Catholic family, he was the sixth of eight children and always fought for the attention any way he could. He was the funny kid who always tried to make people smile. He had boundless energy which sometimes proved hard for his saintly mother to harness, especially after his father died when Vic was only eleven. The family lore tells of the field next to their home catching on fire, the clutch on his brother’s car releasing resulting in car rolling into the lake and something about the outhouse. Supposedly Vic and his sister Kathy were cohorts in crime for these incidents but no one’s talking. Vic spent many summers in Northern Wisconsin with his Uncle John and Aunt Edna and his many Nitecki cousins. Uncle John tried to harness some of this energy teaching young Vic carpentry and many other skills that Vic would use the rest of his life especially rehabbing his home in Kirkwood some forty years later. Vic was never a good student, and was the big fat kid that everyone made fun. Realizing he was not going to pass for graduation and needed some direction decided to join the army. His first tour was in Hanau, Germany with an Engineering Battalion. It was at this time that Vic married his first wife Brigitte and had his first child, Tom. It was after this stint that knew that he could have a career that would provide structure, opportunities and security for his family. Vic applied and was accepted into OCS at Fort Benning, GA and was commissioned as a Lieutenant which in 1967 was an automatic ticket to Viet Nam. There he was in charge of a platoon of forty men stationed outside of Saigon in CuChi near the tunnels and the Cambodian border. This was at the worst period of the war during the TET Offensive. He lost one man from his platoon in a jungle fight and was himself wounded when an incoming rocket hit the ammo dump at base camp destroying the hut, he was sleeping in. Vic’s next assignment was at the Presidio in San Francisco. This was 1968 the height of the anti-war protest. His welcome home was being spit on, called baby killers and more. While stationed here, he took the opportunity to attend Golden Gate University along with his regular army job on post with the Adjutant General Corps. The field of IT was just in its infancy and Vic jumped on board with all of his education and excelled. His career took him to post at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, (where Christopher was born) the Pentagon in Washington D.C., Zwiebrucken, Germany and finally here in St Louis at the military book depositary on Woodson Road. Even though he left the war in 1968, it would come back to haunt him later with medical issues. While serving at the Pentagon in the 1970’s, he suffered grand mall seizures and was treated at Walter Reed Military Hospital. This was a scary time for him, his late wife Brigitte and their two young sons. He had to learn how to walk, talk, and write all over again. It was a long process but Vic’s determination prevailed. The seizures were thought to be caused by Agent Orange, but at the time the Government would not acknowledge this could be the culprit. We all know now that it was the cause and this pesticide has caused even more harm to veterans in the ensuing years. The bladder cancer that Vic succumbed to was also a byproduct of Agent Orange. Vic retired from active duty in 1983 and entered the civilian work continuing his career in the IT field. He worked for many companies as permanent and contract employee, including Maritz, Mercantile Bank, Master Card, Peabody Coal, and Mercy. Although he was very private about it, his faith was important to him. Vic knew that only God got him thru the tough times. Vic was an active member of St. Peter’s in Kirkwood where he was the head usher for many years and Eucharistic Minister. Vic would also have gone on every ACTS retreat if they would let him. In his second retirement he enjoyed renewing his interest in photography and videography with a mini business, but if truth be told, most of his work was done for free just because he enjoyed doing it. He was also a volunteer at St. Luke’s Hospital, USO of Missouri. Karen and Vic were blessed to be able to travel during their thirty-six years together. Many trips were to Wisconsin for family reunions and also Army reunions. But most likely two of his favorite trips were in recent years with his son Chris. The first being his return to Viet Nam 2017 to visit the same areas he fought fifty years earlier. It was emotional but gave him some closure. The second was the Honor Flight in 2022. This trip was emotional but in a different way because he was with a group of veterans, who like him had never been welcomed home upon their return from Viet Nam. The family would like to thank the entire staff of Garden View Care Center at Dougherty Ferry and Pathways Hospice for their wonderful care and compassion these last several months. Not only did they support Vic but the family as well. Vic’s often told people: “I came into the Army as a buck private without a high school diploma and left twenty-one years later as a Major with a Master’s Degree. There is nothing you can’t accomplish if you put your mind to it’ He truly believed this and lived it. Vic had a smile for everyone and always wanted to make you happy. Vic had a larger the life personality and lived life to the fullest and would tell you all to do the same. Thank you, Vic, for the ride of a lifetime! Love Karen Visitation will be Wednesday November 29, 2023 from 4 to 8 pm at Bopp Chapel in Kirkwood. A Celebration of Life mass will be held on Thursday November 30, 9:30am at St. Peter Catholic Church, 243 West Argonne, Kirkwood, MO. Burial Service will be held at 11:30 at Jefferson Barracks Cemetery with full Military Honors