Frank Herbert de Nobriga

Colonel Frank de Nobriga, USMCR of Kingsport Tennessee, 88, died on September 26, 2015 at the James H. Quillen Medical Center, Mountain Home, TN, following a long illness.

Colonel de Nobriga was born September 8, 1927 in Decatur, Georgia, the only son of John Francis and Alice de Nobriga. Losing his father at an early age instilled in him a keen sense of responsibility and duty. Enrolling in ROTC at Decatur Boy's High, he volunteered for the Marine Corps immediately after graduation in 1944. He served the last days of WWII in Great Lakes, Illinois, returning to Georgia by way of a 26-state hitchhiking adventure of over 8,300 miles on less than $100.

In 1950 de Nobriga saw combat in Korea, earning a Purple Heart; he remained a proud Marine in the Reserves until he retired from the Corps in 1981. In between active duty in two wars, he married Eleanor Upchurch on March 4, 1950 in Decatur, GA. Attending Georgia Tech on the GI Bill, de Nobriga graduated with a degree in Textile Engineering in June 1950. He worked at Tennessee Eastman Company in Kingsport for 34 years, progressing from a technical service representative traveling the southeastern United States, to a manager in the Fiber Development Laboratory. His early career on the road afforded his family the opportunity to discover camping and a love of the natural world.

de Nobriga was devoted to the church life of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, serving as a distinguished lay reader and in leadership positions on the church council. Another passion was preserving the historical legacy of upper East Tennessee; both the Netherland Inn Association and the Exchange Place honored him for his leadership and his work as a docent, gardener and volunteer. He performed many other civic duties with dedication and was cited in 1988 by the Kingsport mayor for his service on the Kingsport Industrial Development Board. In 1997 he received the Presidents' Award from the Kiwanis Club, and served on the board from 2000-2005.

He is survived by Eleanor, wife of 65 years, and their five children: Kathie de Nobriga (Alice Teeter) of Pine Lake, GA; Frank (Megan) de Nobriga of Abingdon, VA; Donna (Jim) Winningham of Cookeville, TN; Deborah (Peter) Chyka of Knoxville, TN, and Phillip (Meredith) de Nobriga of Kingsport, TN, as well as ten grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

Services with military honors will be held on 1pm on Saturday, October 3, 2015 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 800 Broad Street, Kingsport, 37660, with Pastor Steve Counts officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Col. de Nobriga will be gratefully accepted by Holy Trinity Lutheran Church or the Exchange Place, 4812 Orebank Road, Kingsport, TN 37664.