Franklin Bacheller

Franklin Irving Bacheller of Logan, Utah, passed away April 21, 2017, with his wife and son by his side. He was 74 years old.

A dedicated family man, he truly was the best father and husband with unfailing love, patience, perseverance, and optimism. Guided by his faith in God, he loved singing church hymns, hiking and camping in the great outdoors, and teaching.

Frank was born on Nov. 5, 1942, in New London, Wisconsin, the youngest child of Irving Heman Bacheller and Lillian Wright. Frank's early childhood was spent on a farm, which had its ups and downs. Ups: he got to ride ponies with his older sisters, attend a one-room schoolhouse, and occasionally watch TV at the neighbors. (They owned the first one in the area.) Downs: no indoor plumbing and having to stay away from town so he wouldn’t catch polio during an outbreak. Once as a child, Frank even got bit by a goose. His mother killed that goose and served it for dinner the very same night.

The first in his family to go to college, Frank graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He first worked as a local newspaper reporter, and then as an ad copy writer. Frank also drove all over the Midwest in a light blue Volkswagen Beetle that his father gave him for graduation. This was during his brief stint as a family portrait photographer for Sears, Roebuck & Company. Unfulfilled in that job, he volunteered with a church group that worked with inner-city youth in Chicago.

In 1967, Frank moved to Japan to teach English with a Lutheran church group. He saw the country’s transition from post-World War II reconstruction to an economic powerhouse. For a small stipend, Frank taught for over nine years at a local church, Niigata University and Nagaoka Technical College. It was during this time in an entirely foreign world that he found his true calling in teaching. He also met the love of his life, his wife, Ryoko.

Frank and Ryoko married in 1973 and moved to the U.S. in 1976. Frank earned his master’s degree in ESL/EFL at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He then went on to teach at Southeast Missouri State University, the University of Houston, and finally Utah State University (USU) in Logan. He taught at USU’s Intensive English Language Institute (IELI) for 29 years, including 11 years as its director.
In 1999, he also received his doctorate in instructional technology from USU.

In 2000, while director of IELI, Frank was instrumental in creating a program to teach intensive English courses in China. This evolved further with USU’s department of economics and finance into the China Cooperative Academic Program. Frank traveled to China multiple times a year to help strengthen instruction methods and coursework in the country’s universities.

Frank was twice elected to serve on the executive board of the American Association of Intensive English Programs. He was also a member of the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation, serving as commissioner and site reviewer. During his career, Frank also published numerous books and articles and presented at conferences. He retired at the end of last year.

Frank is survived by his wife of more than 43 years, Ryoko; son, Timothy; two sisters Lily May and Linda; uncle Norman Wright; aunt Victoria Bacheller; and a multitude of nieces and nephews.

Frank loved the outdoors and spent countless summer vacations visiting his mother in Montana and camping at one of his favorite places, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. He and Ryoko recently hiked their way through Canyonlands and Arches in Utah. To honor Frank’s memory, please donate to the National Park Service or visit a park to experience the same natural beauty and wonder that gave him so much joy and energy.