Francis "Frank" Herd Jr.

Francis J Herd Jr. died on the afternoon of April 28, 2025, holding the hand of his wife,

Sarah and with their dog, Mischa at his side. He lived with stage 4 colorectal cancer for

eight years and applied the mantra of “we hope until there’s scientific reason not to”. In

October of 2024, he was given the news that the cancer was spreading rapidly, and the

available treatments may not be as effective against it; that he had less than a year to

live. He then applied the mantra of “We enjoy what we can when we can,” which he did

until April of 2025. He died peacefully in his home after a long and valiant fight. His last

words were “I’m trying” and the final song he heard was his favorite band’s most

overplayed and beloved song, Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”.

Frank was born on December 14, 1966, in Perth Amboy, NJ to Frank J. Herd Sr and

Alice Herd (nee Deegan). He and his younger brother Tom were raised in Edison, NJ.

He was an overachiever at an early age, from memorizing pi to the fiftieth decimal and

the Greek alphabet in grammar school, to becoming the youngest certified soccer

referee in the state to being awarded as a National Merit Scholar in high school at St.

Joseph’s, where he thrived under the Jesuit teaching he received. He earned a full ride

for his college education and chose to live at home while pursuing his undergrad degree

at Rutgers, finishing with a BA in Sociology.

He overcame his natural shyness and started phone canvassing for New Jersey Citizen

Action in 1992, raising funds and educating citizens on the need for universal health

care and a patient’s bill of rights. He became a high achiever in this work and soon

started moving up the ranks and traveling across the country as part of his training.

When the New Jersey office closed, he traveled across the country to Seattle and many

of his New Jersey coworkers and friends followed him there. When he was offered the

opportunity to open and direct a new office in Minneapolis in 1997, he took it.

It was a gamble, but one that paid many dividends, as he met his wife, Sarah there, who

had travelled from Milwaukee, WI to help support the new office. Although many had

warned him this new office may not be sustainable, he and his team turned it into a

thriving call center for the Progressive Action Network and Frank became the go-to

“Great Communicator” Phone Canvass Director; known for helping new managers and

directors develop professionally and personally. Although his boss would often tell him

he was a boss, not a counselor, he counseled all regardless and helped gently guide

many to a better, more sustainable path than the one they were on before having met

him.

In 2007, Frank chose to leave the network for another opportunity. He was laid off as a

full-time employee, as were many in the Great Recession (although unlike most, Frank

was able to continue as an independent contractor with his previous employer for 20

more years). While receiving training as part of his unemployment obligations, he was

inspired by the work of his employment counselor. Ultimately, he was able to leverage

his skills, passion and interest and found a new career path, working with multiple non-

profits in multiple employment placement roles and in 2018, became a Placement

Coordinator for Vocational Rehabilitation Services at the State of Minnesota, a role he

enjoyed immensely and was so saddened to have to leave in 2024. Finally, Frank was

the counselor in name and duty that he should always have been. He was very proud of

his work and found a whole new family within the placement community, sat on multiple

boards, and graduated from the Emerging Leadership Institute in the spring of 2024, in

tandem with ongoing chemo treatment.

Frank and Sarah would often joke that “if it weren’t for the cancer”, things were going

well for them from 2017-2024; they bought their first house in 2015 in Columbia Heights.

They loved feeding their neighborhood squirrels and pollinators in the backyard and

filling the yard and house with their ever-growing owl collection. They counted

themselves very lucky to work remotely from home on a permanent basis after 2020.

Although they had to be careful during the pandemic and beyond because of his

immunocompromised state, they were able to have many backyard gatherings outdoors

and felt very lucky to have all that extra time together and with their dog and friends.

Frank was a great sports enthusiast and a longtime Steelers fan. He was very happy to

become a Loons season ticket holder in 2019, a bucket list wish for him that he was

able to share with friends, as his treatments allowed. Besides sports, video games,

crosswords, etc, limericks, puns and “dad jokes” held a special place in his heart. His

limericks were often shared with family and friends on social media, generating more

creative writing from those who read them (as well as many groans from those who

claimed they did not enjoy them, but will always think of Frank when they see one).

These are the facts of Frank's life, but his legacy is the many people and animals he

touched along the way. His family, his friends, his clients and his co-workers were all

changed in some significant way from knowing, interacting and just being with Frank.

Our connections with Frank live on in all of us and we all carry a bit of Frank in our

hearts. He is survived by this connected network of amazing people across the country,

his father, Frank Herd Sr., his brother Tom Herd and his partner, Holly Wood, his wife,

Sarah, his dog, Mischa, his two favorite backyard squirrels, Busty and Kinky and a

lifetime of laughter and memories that will be celebrated formally on October 12, 2025

at Wabasha St. Caves in St. Paul. Please follow his Facebook account and Caring

Bridge page, as further celebrations, testimonials, pictures, tributes and details will be

posted there.