Commander Frank L (Pop) Shelley II USCG (Ret.)

May 22, 1925 - Aug. 25, 2020 Resident of Santa Cruz

Frank Shelley II passed away on August 25, 2020 after a short illness. He was 95 years old.

Frank was born in San Jose, California in 1925 to Frank and Tillie Shelley. He attended local schools and graduated from San Jose High in 1943. Immediately after, he volunteered for the Coast Guard and served out the remainder of World War II. In the fall of 1945, he enrolled in the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut and graduated in 1949. That same year he married Geraldine Quadros of San Jose, California. They were married for 66 years before her death in 2015.

Frank served as an officer in the Coast Guard and retired in 1967. He initially served on Coast Guard ships, then went to flight school at Pensacola Fl. NAS, graduating as Coast Guard Aviator #633 in 1951. He eventually flew both fixed wing and rotor aircraft and had various assignments in his career such as Search and Rescue Operations, Test Pilot, and Lead Pilot for the Secretary of the Treasury.

His greatest challenge was during the early 60’s as Project Manager for the development of the Sikorsky HH-52 Seaguard, the first Coast Guard all-weather, turbine powered, fully amphibious helicopter. During testing & evaluation he also developed several pilot-controlled maneuvers, and a multi-faceted flight training syllabus to provide a standardized transition for Coast Guard aviators into the HH-52A helicopter. The Seaguard would go on to change the face of Search and Rescue, establishing the primacy of the helicopter in Coast Guard operations. 99 of the aircraft were in service for 26 years, and saved over 15,000 lives, a record no other aircraft has yet to even challenge. The Seaguard would become the first United States Coast Guard vehicle to be permanently displayed in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. To mark the 100th anniversary of CG Aviation, A restored HH-52 was dedicated in a ceremony on April 14th 2016, and Frank was awarded the Legion of Merit at that time for his work on the HH-52, as well as his contributions to developing and implementing the Coast Guard Aviation Master Plan. Frank is in the Coast Guard Hall of Honor, and was a founding member of the Ancient Order of the Pterodactyl- “Flying Since the World Was Flat. “In addition, he & his electric piano were in high demand at Coast Guard social gatherings.

During his Coast Guard career, he had assignments in Monterey California; Guam; Pensacola Fl, Corpus Christi TX.; San Francisco, California; Ketchikan/ Annette Island Alaska; Port Angeles Washington; Patuxent River, Maryland; Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and Washington DC. Along the way, he and Geraldine had six children.

Frank retired in 1967 to Santa Cruz, California where he worked at Sky Park Airport in Scotts Valley and taught at Cabrillo College for over 10 years. He went on to teach Aeronautics at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont Ca. his last professional job was in his 70’s as a pilot for Aris Helicopters, and he continued to fly fixed wing and rotor well into his 90’s.

Both of our parents were life-long learners and provided tremendous support to each other. Frank ran a busy household so Geraldine could pursue and achieve her goals during the 60’s and 70’s. Geraldine earned 2 Masters and went on to be one of the first women in a management role in the California State Library System. Frank later received a PH.D. from U.C. Berkeley, but he considered his greatest educational achievement to be completing a 1500 hour Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) Mechanic Certification Program from Gavilan College at the age of 67. He loved listening & playing music, and was extremely proud of his meticulous fleet of vintage 3 speed bicycles; which served the family far and wide for over 4 decades.

Frank is preceded in death by his wife and his oldest son Frank III. He is survived by his daughters Ann Shelley, Clare Uhler (Bob), Catherine Barr (Jonathan), his daughter-in law Leslie Shelley, and his sons Bill Shelley (Curtis) and Matthew Shelley (Christine). He is also survived by 6 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the family is planning a private burial service, but plan to have a celebration of life later in 2021. In lieu of flowers, the family request donations to the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance https://www.cgmahq.org/ which provides aid to Coast Guard Families affected by the natural disasters they respond to.