Obituary of Frank Dorchak

Frank P. Dorchak Jr., a retired Forest Ranger, of Malone, NY, died on February 13, 2022, at the Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake. A funeral service will take place Friday, February 18, 2022, at Frary Funeral Home in Malone at 1:00 PM. Visitation will be held prior from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Interment will take place in the spring at the Essex County Veterans Cemetery. Frank was born on August 11, 1936 in Yonkers, NY, the son of Frank and Ann (Cherko) Dorchak. Growing up there until enlisting in the U.S. Navy out of high school from 1955-1965. After leaving the U.S. Navy in 1965, he attended the N.Y.S. Ranger School in Wanakena. Upon graduation, he became a Consulting Forester for the New England Forestry Foundation in Whitefield, NH. He then was appointed as an N.Y.S. Forest Ranger in Ray Brook, NY in April of 1967. In 1969 he assumed the duties of Saranac Lake Forest Ranger where he participated in over 200 search and rescue missions. In 1981 he transferred to the Malone Ranger District where he raised Suffolk sheep for several years on his farm in Dickinson. He graduated from Empire State College with a degree in “Environmental Ethics and Social Policy,” and taught “Environmental Law and the Permit Process” at Paul Smith’s College’s night school programs for five- years. He taught for several years under the joint auspices of the U.S. Forest Service, N.Y.S. DEC and Sir Sanford Fleming College in Canada. He was awarded the “Silver Smokey Award” by the U.S. Forest Service and the National Advertising Council for his work in forest fire prevention. He retired in June of 1995. He participated in several musical comedy stage shows in Saranac Lake, Lake Placid, and Malone. He introduced the North County to “Salute Military Golf Association (SMGA-NY). He organized golf clinics and tournaments for N.Y.S. wounded warriors. Thanks to the expertise of local golf professionals, over one hundred combat-wounded were taught to “swing the sticks,” thereby aiding in their rehabilitation. He was a member of the Board of Directors for Homeward Bound Adirondacks (HBA), a life member of American Legion Post 219, Malone where he held the position of Post Historian, VFW Post 1231, Canton, past Commander AMVETS Post 8, Malone, U.S. Submarine Veterans Inc., Albany/Saratoga Base. He was a past President of Malone Kiwanis Club, past Base Commander U.S. Submarine Veterans, founder and Regional Manager of “The Salute Military Golf Association (SMGA-NY),” North Country Rep., “Clear Path for Veterans,” and enjoyed woodworking. He is survived by his wife, Wanda Murtagh Dorchak; a stepdaughter, Amy Murtagh Cantin and her husband Rick of Mansfield, MA; four children, Marilyn Goulet and her husband Steven of Henderson, NV, Frank Dorchak III, and his wife Laura of Colorado Springs, CO, Christopher Dorchak of Henderson, NV, and Gregory Dorchak and his wife Carmen of Austin TX; two grandchildren, Alek and Nichole both of Austin TX; a brother Richard Dorchak and his wife Eileen of Las Vegas, NV; close family buddy, Jason Casselman of Moira; and his faithful yellow lab bodyguard, “Captain Woody Morgan, “ who was constantly at his side. Memorial contributions can be made to Homeward Bound Adirondacks Building Fund at PO Box 1100, Saranac Lake, NY 12983 or homewardboundadirondacks.org. Condolences may be made online at fraryfuneralhomes.com. ‘Dreams, they come early in one’s mind, They Lead, you follow, you chase, They hide! Sometimes you cry for them, Life is but a shadowy dream….’ GOD BLESS AMERICA