Last week Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge 2757 donated a wheelchair to local legend Ernest "Krazy Ernie" Franke. Since 1940, Franke has been an active member of the Thompson Falls community and is well known for his interesting exploits. Having had many jobs, from radio-show host to superintendent of numerous sawmills in the area, Franke has made a name for himself.

"I've done some stupid things," said Franke, recounting stories of crackpot investments and job snafus that earned him his name. "It became a million-dollar advertising name," said Franke.

Franke, 84, came to the area when he was three years old from San Hills, Nebraska. He taught adult education woodworking classes, had a motorcycle repair shop and was a member of the Montana Jaycees. He worked for a radio station in Missoula many years ago reporting on hunting and fishing. He worked many years for a company that owned more than 18 sawmills across the area, many of which Franke managed. Franke was a cook in the Army, and he was married 61 years. His wife passed away four years ago.

Elks member Ron Hawkinson said that Franke used to own a sporting goods store that sported the name Krazy Ernie's Emporium."You'd go into his sporting goods store, and he'd be sitting in there carving," Hawkinson said. "He was really quite an artist. After you would talk to him for a while, you'd figure out why he's called Krazy Ernie. He's got one heck of a sense of humor."

Franke broke both his legs three days before Christmas last year while unloading pellets from his pickup truck. Barely able to walk using a cane and requiring an operation that will take him off his feet for some time, Franke was in need of some help. "I can't do anything," he said.

A regular at Minnie's Cafe, Franke spoke to someone from the Lodge while eating there. Elks Exalted Ruler Charlie Munday explained to Franke that a wheelchair had been donated to the Elks Lodge by members Dave Mahler and Noreena Edgecombe in early 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic. When Franke received the chair, he spoke of Edgecombe and Mahler, saying, "People like this make the world go 'round."

"They are very civic minded," said Munday. According to Munday, the two Elks are very active volunteers in the community. "They are really fine folks," added Hawkinson. The two received the chair from Edgecombe's mother and wanted to donate it to someone who would use it. They decided the Elks Lodge would be able to reach out to the community to find a recipient. Edgecombe explained that her father was an Elk for 60 years, and so she and Mahler became Elks themselves.

Franke wants to borrow the chair until he can walk again. "I sure appreciate this. I just can't sit still," he said. Still very active, Franke works in his shop and travels around town in his side-by-side, decorated with bull horns and flags. Having lived in the area most of his life, he has stories for anyone who is willing to listen.