The wonderful, wandering Wiedemanns

COEUR d’ALENE — If one thing is to be said about Frank and Lynne Wiedemann, it could definitely be that they know how to stay busy.

"I remember being in college and I was saying to my friend, ‘One thing, I do not want to bored,'" Lynne said, her smile growing. "Now I always think, ‘Watch what you wish for.’ I’ve got the right man, I’ll tell you that."

Joyful, personable and open to the world, Frank and Lynne sat at a table in their namesake restaurant — Franklin's Hoagies (a combination of "Frank" and "Lynne") — to share a few memories of their lives together in North Idaho before heading into the wild blue yonder.

“We’re open for new opportunities now," Lynne said. "I hate the word 'retired.'”

"We’re free now, finally,” Frank said. "We’re still looking for opportunities. We don't want that to stop."

The Wiedemanns, of Coeur d'Alene, have been in the Inland Northwest since the early 1970s and have certainly left their mark on their community. They are the original owners of Franklin's, which they opened in 1981. They turned an old service station into a restaurant and introduced Coeur d'Alene to cheesesteaks, fresh potatoes and outside seating.

"We lived out in Newport, no electricity, no running water, for nine years,” Frank said. "Then one day we read in the Wall Street Journal that Philadelphia cheesesteaks are going to be the next best thing. And we were getting bored out in the woods, so we thought about it and thought about it, and we decided to open up a cheesesteak restaurant."

Lynne said it was pretty scary diving into the food business for her first time, but they took a chance that paid off.

 "We opened it up, and there was a line around the block,” Lynne said.

"Nobody else was doing cheesesteaks,” Frank said. "Back then, it was unfamiliar here. And we missed cheesesteaks and old-fashioned Philadelphia food."

The elm Frank planted back then now towers above the restaurant, in its original location at 501 N. Fourth St. Frank and Lynne sold the restaurant about six years later to delve into another venture they had started in Newport: Christmas wreaths and dried floral decorations.

You know the giant, iconic wreath that hangs on The Coeur d'Alene Resort every holiday season? The Wiedemanns built the original.

"In 1986, when they were first doing the decorations, we did their whole inside, outside, and everything at that time was fresh," Lynne said. "It's fun, people still recognize us."

Through that business, Marble Mountain Supernaturals, the couple crafted Christmas wreaths and were even featured on the QVC channel.

"We sold like 30,000 wreaths in an hour,” Frank said. "We were on TV in Sun Valley, we were on national TV, and the wreaths sold like hotcakes."

The Wiedemanns met in high school (at Lynne's locker, to be exact) in New Jersey when they were teenagers. They have two daughters, two grandchildren and they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in April by vacationing in Europe.

“We had such cute adventures,” Lynne said.

Through the years they've opened a cooking school "for gringos" in Mexico, helped build a catering business, advocated for bees and so much more.

When they were first married, Frank owned a small janitorial business. In 2009, they returned to custodial work and began cleaning the Hagadone Corporation headquarters at night and early in the mornings. On Thursday, the couple relinquished their duties to write the next chapter in their lives.

Frank said he wanted to share how much they’ve appreciated the people at Hagadone Corporation.

"These people have been super nice to us, and we have really enjoyed working there. Even though it’s menial work, the people there have been super nice,” he said. "We have the highest respect for everyone there."

"They were sad we were leaving," Lynne said.

The couple intend to pursue their passions — Lynne loves to write, and Frank loves beekeeping and apitherapy, which is an alternative medicine that uses bee products.

“It’s a love for bees and a love of nature,” Frank said. “Knowing bees are in trouble, I try and spread the word to get people involved to save bees. It’s a sad thing, actually. Whoever can help save the bees, I’m all for it... And I enjoy teaching kids. They're not afraid of bees. Adults are all squirmy, and the kids go, ‘Oh yeah!"

They’re taking their camper and going wherever their adventures lead them, probably to see relatives, and then...?

“We don’t know,” Frank said. “We’re just going to see America, or maybe Mexico. No plans.”

"We're just trying this out," Lynne said.

Don't worry, the Wiedemanns said they will be back in the spring.

"During Frank and Lynne's tenure over the years, they did a great job of keeping our proud headquarters on the north end of Lake Coeur d'Alene in tip-top shape," said Hagadone Corporation President Brad Hagadone. "Along with their great work ethics they were always a true pleasure to be around and felt like family to our executive team. Wishing Frank and Lynne all the very best in their future endeavors! They will truly be missed."