Hunter Frank Memorial benefit to help wounded warriors

Family members of a U.S. sailor who died while serving in El Salvador are not about to let his memory fade any time soon.

Maggi and Brandon Flores are organizing what has become bigger than ever annual Hunter Alexander Frank Memorial Ride on Saturday. It’s their way of celebrating Frank’s life and giving back to the community. Brandon, 32, is a sibling to Frank.

“For the family when you lose someone you love, you lose a part of it,” said Maggi Flores. “It’s what you do with it. It’s our job to continue to give out that love. We want to keep him alive and well in our hearts.”

This year the Flores family formed a nonprofit organization that’s directly tied to the Wounded Warriors Family Support. The mission of the HAF Memorial Foundation is to honor Frank by helping provide services to veterans and their families.

“Our goal is to keep Hunter’s name alive and well by doing good in the community,” Maggi said. “We want to better the community that Hunter grew up in. We want to bring a positive to people’s lives,” she added.

After graduating from Owatonna in 2018, Hunter served in the Navy flying with Team Trident as electronic warfare operator. He died in October 2020 while serving in El Salvador. Some of his decorations included the National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Medal and Marksman 9mm Pistol Ribbon. His parents are Chad Frank and Annette Duncan, president of the United Way of Steele County.

Maggi said she hopes people will remember Hunter as the loving and protective person that he was.

The memorial ride will kick off with registration at 7 a.m. at the Steele County Beer Gardens in Owatonna. The ride begins at 8:30 a.m. and will stretch across 100 miles to Faribault, Elysian, Waseca and back to Owatonna.

In addition to the ride, there will be a silent auction and family activities at the Beer Garden from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Some of the activities include face painting and a train ride for children. Live entertainment and a cash bar will also take place from 12-4 p.m. There will also be food trucks on the grounds.

Last year the memorial event grew to about 500 people, according to Maggi. “It seems like the more we say it, it gets bigger,” she said. “A lot of the community remembers Hunter, and they want to support this.”

This year’s goal is to raise $15,000, Maggi said, noting all proceeds will go toward Wounded Warriors. After the local fundraiser is complete, Brandon will ride his motorcycle to the national headquarters of Wounded Warriors in Omaha to present the check.

Maggi said by doing the memorial fundraiser, it “keeps the darkness of losing somebody at bay and turns it into a positive light for the future.” She added, “We are happy to bring the community together and help out families in need.”