Frank Kaven

Frank Kaven, 56, of Longmont, Colorado passed away Wednesday night at Denver Health Medical Center surrounded by his beloved family and friends. Frank was born on July 18, 1957 in Detroit, Michigan to Jerry and Shirley Kaven. In 1972 Jerry and Shirley moved Frank and his three siblings to Longmont, Colorado. They all graduated from Longmont High School. After high school Frank toured Europe, returning in the fall to attend the University of Denver's Hotel Management School. While managing hotels, Frank moved throughout the U.S. and eventually was transferred to Phoenix, Arizona where he met his wife Ann Ciecior. Frank brought Ann home to meet the family during Longmont's infamous blizzard of 1982. The couple were married in August of 1983. Coming back to a community that he had always considered his home-town, Frank reignited his long time love affair with the city of Longmont and its citizens in 1990, when he and his wife Ann opened Chrisar's Grill and Gallerie. The restaurant's name was a combination of Christopher and Sarah, their children's names. The family lived in the apartment above the restaurant, and longtime Longmont residents will remember the "little ones" playing in the yard, climbing on their swing-set, which was the main outdoor art for the restaurant, and "helping" in the dining room when they were quite young. Frank once said, "You're never to young to hostess when you have a winning smile, love people and are considered 'darling'." In 2004, Chrisar's went through a huge change and morphed into what we know today as Martini's Bistro, while still serving the same delicious food and continuing the unmatched service that Frank demanded in all his business endeavors. Ann continued to support Frank and the restaurant and was responsible for Martini's signature, scrumptious Oh Joy! dessert, which she made every week. Ann always said she bet that she had made over a thousand of those desserts over the years. This past year, Martini's was awarded the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce's Small Business of the Year Award. Frank was there with Ann and Christopher Kukich, his partner, for this very special honor. Over the years Frank became involved with many aspects of the Longmont community. He was always very quiet with his involvement, but was always there when someone or an organization needed his help. Frank referred to himself as "the back-of-the-house" man, a term in the restaurant business that refers to the person who makes sure everything behind the scenes runs smoothly. However, he always made the rounds at Martini's to welcome the guests and take a moment to "chat." With his participation in organizations such as the LDDA, the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce, a plethora of Longmont area non-profits and in many other ways, Frank helped make Longmont the very special community it is today. And somehow, during all of this, Frank found time in recent years to study interior design, continuing his thirst for knowledge and ways to express his creativity. One of the people who had a huge impact on Frank's life and with whom he engaged in a love/hate relationship was Mother Nature. He absolutely adored her on winter days that were warm and balmy and people could go out to eat. He loved her in the summer when he could open the patio and invite the Longmont community to come sit, visit, discuss their favorite subjects and just relax after a hard day's work. He absolutely hated her in the spring time, when the mornings would start out beautiful and crisp, with the flowers blooming and the squirrels visiting the patio and then ... it would rain for 15 minutes and ruin the patio for the rest of the day. But it was the fall relationship that was the most hectic and created the most daily turmoil for Frank. The beautiful fall leaves that covered not only the ground, but also the patio with a mantle of color were the bane of Frank's existence. He spoke to Mother Nature, out loud, so that all the world knew just exactly how he felt about her. Driving down Terry Street seeing Frank raking leaves has been an iconic part of the Longmont downtown scene. This very special, very involved man will be missed in Longmont's daily community life. Frank enjoyed travel so much that he went to Palisades and in one day to pick up peaches for the specials at the restaurant the following week. He loved spending time with his very special little granddaughters whenever they came to visit, or when he could find the time to go see them in Nebraska. He loved good food and always made sure when traveling that he picked out well-known eateries in the area he was visiting. He loved his long coats that he wore for all special occasions. He loved the club life down in "the city," as he called Denver. He loved Martini's Bistro and dedicated his life to making it one of Longmont's premier eateries. And he loved the Shirley J. Kaven Foundation honoring his mother, who taught him how to care and how to give. Frank lived his life and did what he wanted to "his way." Frank was preceded in death by his beloved Mother Shirley Kaven; his nephew Allen Stewart and nephew Jon Kaven. Frank is survived by his father Jerome "Jerry" Kaven and his partner Herta Nohr of New Market, Maryland; wife Ann Ciecior Kaven and his partner Christopher Lee Kukich and by two children, Christopher Stephen (Sarah Fay) Kaven of Omaha, Nebraska and Sarah Ann Kaven of Frederick, Colorado. He is survived by two brothers Daniel (Sherry Meyers) Kaven of Longmont, Colorado; William "Bill" Kaven of Whitesboro, Texas; and one sister Susan Kaven (Tom) Stewart of Johnstown, Colorado. He is survived by his two grand-daughters, Lillyanne Fay Kaven and Gabriella Fay Kaven of Omaha, Nebraska. Frank is also survived by nieces Alisa Kaven of Johnstown, Colorado and Kaiya Kaven of Whitesboro, Texas; nephews Michael (Melissa) Stewart, Matthew (Erin) Stewart and Alex Stewart of Johnstown and Curtis Kaven of Whitesboro, Texas; and great nieces Payton Stewart and Brenna Stewart of Johnstown, Colorado, and great nephew Landon Stewart of Johnstown, Colorado. Friends may greet Frank's family from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, August 18 at Carroll-Lewellen Funeral Home, 503 Terry Street in Longmont. A celebration of life will be held at 3:00 p.m. Monday, August 19 at First Congregational Church, 1500 Ninth Avenue. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Shirley J. Kaven foundation c/o of Carroll-Lewellen Funeral and Cremation Services. Friends may share memories and photos with Frank’s family at www.carroll-lewellen.com Service Information A service summary is not available