A lifetime of service

Frank Rasbury at the Rotary Arbor in Tuscawilla Park in Ocala. [Photo by Meagan Gumpert, MAVEN Photo + Film]

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Posted July 29, 2025 | By Susan Smiley-Height, [email protected]

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If anyone in Marion County ever needed a “go-to” guy, they very likely thought of Frank Rasbury.

The tall and stately Rasbury, always armed with a bright smile, has long been a familiar figure throughout Ocala and Marion County. As a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, he was integral to many area veterans’ groups. As a devoted community advocate and volunteer, he helped numerous organizations achieve success.

Rasbury passed away on July 24, at the age of 97, in Ocala.

He was born on March 6, 1928, in Buffalo, New York. After graduating from high school in 1946, he attended Los Angeles City College and the University of California at Los Angeles. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He enlisted in the Army in 1951 and served for more than 20 years. He was in conflicts in Korea and Vietnam and earned a number of medals, including the Bronze Star. He had a civilian career in New York that included 11 years as executive director for the Nassau County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

It was there that he was introduced to Rotary International and became a dedicated member. He served in offices including president and district governor, and as Rotary’s observer to the United Nations. He was recognized many times as a Paul Harris Fellow for outstanding service and commitment to the ideals of Rotary.

Frank and Naida Rasbury were married for 53 years. She had made her Broadway debut at the age of 7, at George Gershwin’s request, in his original production of “Porgy and Bess” when it premiered in 1935. She appeared in two revivals before she started high school. After college, she worked as an educator and then rose through the ranks of New York City government.

She vividly recalled the day she met Frank.

“It was the early ‘70s, for the opening of a training center in New York City. It was a former military base. I knew all of the directors of the city’s training centers and one of them said, ‘I have someone I think you should meet.’ And he introduced me to my future husband, whom I was not interested in at all. I said he reminded me of a gigolo with his coat over his shoulders and all that stuff and I did not go for that kind of individual. I had to make phone calls to make sure that all my other centers were doing well since I wouldn’t be available for about two or three hours. By the time I made all my calls and got back to the start of the program, there was only seat left in the house, and that seat was next to him. I wasn’t prepared to meet somebody like him. He was arrogant and I was arrogant, too,” Naida explained.

“I wound up sitting next to him for the entire program and then we toured the center. And because that was my business, I explained what was going on to him. And you’re not going to believe this, when it was all over and we had lunch and what have you, he asked me if I would like to go and see his medals. Because it sounded corny, I said, ‘Sure,’” she offered with a laugh.

“So, I went to see his medals. I had never gone to any man’s apartment before and after I saw the medals, I was ready to go in a hurry. It must have given him a kick because women just didn’t say, ‘I have to go. Take me where I have to go.’ He took me back to the center, to my car, and asked if he could take me to lunch sometime. I said, ‘Probably. Give me a call,’”

He did, and she said yes.

“We got to be friends and went out a couple of times and eventually we got a little closer. I was in the throes of a divorce, and I had two children. Frank, who was recently retired from the military, was divorced. He had a girl and boy, and I had two boys,” she noted. “The day that my divorce was final, he took me to the courthouse and, on the way back, he asked me to marry him.”

Local reflections

The couple moved to Ocala in 1987 and became involved in many local organizations, including Rotary, Interfaith Emergency Services and the Ocala Royal Dames for Cancer Research.

During an interview for “Ocala Style” magazine, the “Gazette’s” sister publication, in 2021, Frank noted that they were ready to put all their energies “into becoming bona fide Ocalans/Marion Countians and not just former New Yorkers” and that it was important for them to make a positive contribution to the community.

He was active with the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Military Officers Association of America and helped found the North Central Florida All Airborne Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Division Association. He served on the board of the College of Central Florida and was a charter member of the Appleton Museum of Art. He and Naida were active in the Gold Wing Road Riders Association. They also enjoyed traveling in their motorhome and he served as president of the Florida Sunshine Chapter of the Special Military Active Retired Travel Club.

One of the people Frank came to know well in Ocala was R. Craig Ham, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and active leader with veterans’ organizations, including service as president of the Kingdom of the Sun Chapter, Military Officers Association of America and president/CEO of Stuff the Bus, Inc.

“As a youngster, my parents encouraged me to read the ‘Reader’s Digest,’ a small periodical that came in the mail to our home. I skipped over many of the heavier topics covered in the magazine, but I always read ‘The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met.’ Always entertaining personal glimpses of people who had become ingrained in the memory of those who submitted them for consideration. At first, I thought that ‘character’ was a term reserved for quirky, odd people, but the more I read, the more I came to realize that these were illustrations of many whose lives were destined to touch others in a meaningful way, to make a difference wherever you found yourself. For me, that person was Lt. Col. Frank Rasbury,” Ham told the “Gazette.”

“After I retired to Ocala in 1995, I joined the local chapter of the Military Officers Association of America. Having served as president of the Kingdom of the Sun Chapter several years before, I came to know Frank and his lovely wife, Naida, as warm, sincere people dedicated to serving others. Frank was the consummate military retiree, still cutting a fine figure in the uniform that had carried him from corporal to lieutenant colonel. He served in Korea, Germany and Vietnam, was trained in the Russian language, occupied positions of increasing leadership challenges in the infantry and military intelligence and he never failed to represent his organization, his family and his community with dignity and grace. The MOAA motto is ‘Never Stop Serving’ and Frank and Naida Rasbury have graced the pages of local news in a litany of articles about philanthropy, volunteerism and local causes to support the young, the infirm and the elderly. This is a couple who shared their time, talents and treasures with our community in so many meaningful ways,” Ham said.

“I sat with Frank at the Grace Davis Hall House (Hospice). I held his hand and talked for a couple of hours about his personal and professional contributions to humanity. I know that he heard me, and I can only hope that, in doing so, I was able to ease his transition to a never-ending peace and tranquility. Frank Rasbury – ‘The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met,’” Ham added.

Another connection was Todd Belknap, executive director of Veterans Helping Veterans USA.

“After serving honorably in the U.S. Army from 1951-1971, Lt. Col. Rasbury was unswerving in his tireless commitment to help wherever there was a need. At 96 years of age, his indefatigable efforts were recognized as he was named the 2024 Marion County Rotarian of the Year. The man did not permit Father Time to stop him from serving others,” Belknap wrote in an email message.

“Lt. Col. Rasbury was a giant in the Marion County veteran community and beyond. Us younger veterans frequently sought his wisdom whenever a thorny situation arose, and his counsel always steered us into safe harbor. Lt. Col. and Mrs. Rasbury welcomed me into their home many times and were always gracious hosts. We enjoyed long conversations mixed with his keen sense of humor. When he would playfully spar with you verbally, he got a twinkle in his eye. It let you know he cared about you. You never left their home without a smile on your face. The veteran community will miss this great role model. His leadership and desire to make a positive impact everywhere he went are examples for all of us to emulate,” Belknap continued.

City of Ocala Councilman Jim Hilty, also a veteran and friend said, “Mr. Rasbury and his wife have servants’ hearts, and they never knew a stranger.”

Remembering her father

Robbin Rasbury was the first of Frank’s children. Among her fondest memories are when he was in the military.

“We went everywhere with him. One of my most fond memories was when we were living in Texas and he was teaching me how to ride a bike. The thing about my dad is that when he learned to ride a motorcycle, he went to school. Well, he made sure I went to a bicycle school on the base. He would take me there and make sure I knew all the rules, even as a child in first grade,” she recalled.

She also remembers that “whenever we went out…in Germany or somewhere else, when we went to events, he would put me up on his shoulders and carry me around so I could see everything.”

She said that when they were living in Panama, she was preparing for a track race and her father had been away “on some mission or something.” She had already beaten the time of the fastest person in the upcoming race and wanted her father to race her “because he could always run fast, faster than I could.”

“So, when he came home, he was dead tired, but he ran with me—and I won. He was always available, always wonderful with being there when I needed something,” she shared.

As for life lessons she learned from her father, Robbin said one of them was to “never give up.”

“In other words, for me, the life lesson is that you can be whomever you want to be and don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t, and always strive for excellence,” she noted.

She said her father was stern about being early for meetings and events, noting that he would say, “If there’s a time to show up and you’re on time, you’re late.”

She said he would tell his children to always show up and always do their best.

“He would say that things may not always work out the way you want but just understand that there is a lesson from you. You just keep moving,” she said.

Robbin noted that many of the people she had talked with recently said her father was not just someone who talked, “he was a doer.”

She said Frank’s legacies would include his integrity and his commitment to the principles of Rotary.

In the “Ocala Style” article, it was noted that Frank was pleased to be the project manager for a community beautification project that celebrated the Rotary Club of Ocala’s 100th anniversary in 2019. The arbor in Tuscawilla Art Park includes four pillars engraved with the words “truth,” fair,” “goodwill” and “beneficial.” The inscriptions, he said, stand for the Rotary code of conduct.

“We ask ourselves four questions,” he explained in the article. “Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? And our attitude is that if the answer to any one of those four questions is no, then you don’t do it.”

According to a post on a local Rotary social media page, “Earlier this year, all four Marion County Rotary Clubs convened at the Rotary Arbor in Tuscawilla Park for a special ceremony to launch the Lt. Col. Frank Rasbury ‘Service Above Self’ Award. A plaque honoring him as the first recipient was set there, which will forever commemorate his commitment to loyal service.”

“The people who are doing the work now, he has probably been the person who mentored them in some way. He was so dedicated. His hands were everywhere. When he goes into something, he steps in with both feet, never halfway with anything. He shows up in an organization and he may come in at lunch and by the end of whatever is going on, he’s going to be one of the leaders. He had that kind of charisma, always a fighter… not afraid of a fight if he had conviction about something. He would speak his truth,” Robbin said.

Robbin shared that when they were living on military bases around the world, Frank would tell them they needed to learn about that community.

“You don’t just stay in your little cocoon. You always look at and connect with people who are part of that community and respect it,” he would tell us, she said. “When we were in Germany, he took us to neighboring countries and throughout Germany, to Oktoberfest and museums. He made sure we understood the culture of the people as opposed to just staying on the base. He felt it was important that you not have a myopic view of the world. And to look at the individual, not what they look like, but to see the individual,” she said.

In addition to Naida and Robbin, Frank is survived by sons Eric, Stanley and Gordon, and grandchildren Tamara, Aaron, Bryan and Michael, as well as many other family members.

Funeral services for Frank will begin at 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 1, at St Paul’s United Methodist Church, 800 SE 41^st Ave., Ocala. Inurnment will be at 1:30 p.m. at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.