Frank Rankin

CONCORD- Frank Alexander “Jack” Rankin, Jr. died Wednesday, September 21, 2022.

Born April 2, 1927, he was the only son of Frank Alexander and Edna Julia Stirewalt Rankin and the 16th of the 20 grandchildren of John Alexander and Minnie McCorkle Rankin.

He graduated from Odell High School and attended Davidson College where he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha. He enlisted in the Navy during WW II and was sent to the Naval Air Technical Center in Memphis. He returned to Davidson after the war ended. After the unexpected death of his father, he left college and came home to own and manage the Rankin Family Farm.

Jack was a life-long member of Bethpage Presbyterian Church of Kannapolis. During his life he served as Deacon and on many of the church’s committees.

Jack was a true lover of nature and animals. He took good care of them including feeding the wild birds as well as his livestock. He was a good steward of the land, and he enjoyed the beauty and serenity of the yard, fields, and gardens on the farm. Also, very civic minded he served on the Cabarrus County Planning Board, including four years as Chair. He served on the first Cabarrus Board of Adjustment and on the Watershed Improvement Commission. And for many years he was a volunteer fireman with Odell VFD.

Jack was beloved by his family, marrying his sweetheart, Patricia Harris Rankin, in 1951, the two of them celebrating 71 years of loving marriage together this past July. Left to cherish his memory and live by his example are his wife, his son, Frank A. “Alex” Rankin, III, and his wife, Sharon, his daughter, Anne Harris Rankin, and his grandson, Frank Alexander Rankin, IV. Jack also leaves behind a flock of beloved nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews, who he supported through the years in both their sorrows and in their joys, counting each as his own family and being counted as a second father in return.

Services will be held at Bethpage Presbyterian at 6020 Mooresville Road, Kannapolis, on Monday, September 26, 2022 at 2 pm. The family will receive friends following the committal service.

Memorials may be made to South Mountain Children and Family Services, PO Box 3387 Morganton NC 28680 or a charity of the giver’s choice.