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Frank Addeman, 74

Frank Norman Addeman, 74, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, passed away early Thursday morning, Oct. 18, 2018, surrounded by his loving family after a valiant 18-month battle with cancer. His friends and family can attest that he was the greatest man to ever exist and his loss will be profoundly felt forever.

Frank was born in Edmonton, Alberta, on March 8, 1944, to Maxine Carley Asher and Spencer Noel Addeman; he moved to Coeur d’Alene as a child, spending summers on his family’s ranch in Great Falls, Mont. He lived in Long Beach, Calif., while raising his children and traveled the world on assignments throughout his life, but always maintained a home in Coeur d’Alene, where his extended family and heart resided.

He earned his bachelors in civil engineering from the University of Idaho and worked for a number of engineering firms on large projects across the country, before finding his calling as an Imagineer at Disney Corporation in 1988, where he remained for nearly three decades until his retirement. In his time with Disney, he built incredible feats of imagination for theme parks and cruise ships across the globe, from Splash Mountain at Disney World, Tokyo DisneySea in Japan and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril in Paris- to the Animal Kingdom in Florida, including Expedition Everest and the Tree of Life. Even after retiring, he returned as a consultant to help deliver Pandora- The World of Avatar, which became one of the greatest highlights of his career.

He was a published author, contributing an entire chapter to a project management textbook for Purdue and had numerous articles published in various industry periodicals. He was a pioneer at the forefront of implementing Monte Carlo Risk Assessments and was featured on the cover of Primavera Magazine for his work at Disney; he developed the standards of practice for project controls for Disney Imagineering and his work is consistently referenced to this day. Throughout his career, he created lasting bonds with everyone who knew him; he was an incredible leader and mentor and remains a legend in his field.

Frank maintained a plethora of hobbies and interests throughout his lifetime; among these were windsurfing, sailing, woodworking, scuba diving, skiing, hot air ballooning, stained glass artwork and traveling. He embodied a profound connection with wildlife and conveyed this through his love for his devoted dogs, neighborhood deer and raccoons and an abundance of birds residing in the multitude of birdhouses surrounding his home. His greatest joy was finding a way to make the children around him happy, and to this end, he would spare no effort or expense. Frank found the love of his life, Jeanie, later in life, and together they traveled the world, visiting Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, France, China, Turkey, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Frank will continue to be loved by his wife, Jeanie; his children and daughter-in-law, Matt and Cristina Addeman, Carley Addeman and Blake Addeman; his step-children and their spouses, Patrick and Marie Treadway, Korry and Suzy Sheffler, Joe and Laura Stephenson and Daniel and Maribeth Schneider; his ten grandchildren- with an eleventh on the way; his sister, Carol Anderson; Carol’s children, Ginny and Wayne Longo, Dave and Chris Anderson and Eric and Chandra Anderson; and many dearly loved nieces and nephews.

Friends and family are welcome to a service honoring Frank to be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, at Yates Funeral Home, 744 N. Fourth St., Coeur d’Alene. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in Frank’s name to KC Cure Foundation or the National Kidney Foundation

Yates Funeral Home of Coeur d’Alene is entrusted with final arrangements. Please visit Frank’s online memorial and sign his guest book at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.