Frank Nowak Death, Obituary – Dr. Frank J. Nowak, who lived in the Beverly area of Chicago and was 85 years old when he passed away on January 31, 2000, was a member of the medical staff of Holy Cross Hospital in Chicago, where he had worked continuously since February 1946. Dr. Nowak was both a physician and a surgeon, and he spent the better part of four decades providing medical care to patients on the south side of Chicago from his offices located at 5053 South Damen Avenue in the Back of the Yards area.
At Holy Cross Hospital in Chicago, where he worked as an attending physician in the department of surgery, he also held the position of President of the Medical Staff from 1963 to 1965 and was a member of the Executive Committee as well as several other hospital committees. He served as an acolyte at Holy Cross on a consistent basis, particularly at the Memorial Masses and the First Friday Masses.
Dr. Nowak was not only a medical school alumnus of Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine but also possessed a Master of Science degree in Anatomy. During World War II, he was a Captain in the United States Army and served as a Surgeon in the Aleutian Islands with a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M.A.S.H.) unit. He was one of the first members and served as the head of the first catastrophe committee that the City of Chicago established for Midway Airport.
Dr. Nowak had a passion for being on the water and held certifications from the United States Coast Guard as both a Captain and a Navigator. He had a background in astronomy and had been a member of the American Astronautical Society and the British Interplanetary Society in the past. He was an amateur. He was a talented musician who could play the organ, piano, and accordion, enjoyed singing, and was an excellent polka dancer. He had several interests, including photography, the collection of rocks, a deep passion for animals, and the ability to construct anything.
Elyse Nowak, who resides in Chicago, commented on her father’s life by saying, “My father was like a Renaissance man with numerous talents and interests.” ?He was fluent in a number of languages, including Polish, because he provided medical care to a large number of Polish families in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. After the population of the neighborhood shifted to be mostly Hispanic, he decided to teach himself Spanish in order to provide better medical treatment for his patients.
Dr. Nowak has spent his whole life living on Chicago’s south side. He has been a member of both St. John of God Parish in Chicago and Christ the King Parish in Chicago, the latter of which he currently attends. Sunday evening at Christ the King’s 5 o’clock Mass, he greeted parishioners while serving as an usher. He wore the bow tie that has become his signature accessory. In Chicago, he received his elementary education at St. John of God School and his secondary education at Weber High School.
Dr. Nowak is survived by his wife of 60 years, Dr. Edna Tichy Nowak of Chicago, whom he met when both were studying at Stritch Medical School and with whom he practiced medicine for many years in the Back of the Yards neighborhood; four daughters, Elyse Nowak of Chicago, Emily (Frank) Battle of Greenwich, Connecticut, Dr. Candace Nowak of Chicago, and Paula Nowak of Chicago; one son, Frank (Dawn) Nowak of Denver, Colorado; five grandchildren; and one brother.