Funeral services are set today for longtime Hall County businessman Frank Turk, hailed Sunday by a close friend as “larger than life” and someone who “never met a stranger.”

“Frank was like a father to me,” said Sheri Millwood, a real estate broker who worked with Turk while she was in college.

“He taught me about how business was done. He taught me about community involvement.”

Millwood, who served on the Oakwood Planning Commission with Turk, went on to describe him as “very patriotic” and someone who loved flying and the Lake Lanier Islands resort. The two also shared a passion for NASCAR.

“He was very, very involved in his community his whole life,” she said.

Turk was 78 when he died Friday.

Visitation took place Sunday at Little & Davenport Funeral Home in Gainesville.

Funeral services are scheduled for 1 p.m. at the funeral home at 355 Dawsonville Highway.

Turk owned several businesses, mostly restaurants, during his lifetime, including Burger Chef on Green Street and Atlanta Highway, and several Hardees eateries throughout the area.

He also owned Frank Turk Automotive Repair on McEver Road.

Turk served on many boards through the years, including Lake Lanier Islands Development Authority, Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Hall County Development Authority, Hall County Civil Service Board and Oakwood Development Authority.

He also served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was a member of Lakewood Baptist Church.

Turk “was born and raised in Oakwood and never lived more than 10 miles from where he was born, except for his time in the Army during the Korean War,” Millwood said.

“He did some really remarkable things ... that changed the area for the good, forever, and no one knows that he did them,” she added.

Turk also was interested in area roads, playing a role in McEver Road Extension and what is now known as Lanier Islands Parkway, connecting the resort to Interstate 985.

William Bagwell, a friend, described Turk as a “doer.”

“When he saw a need in this community, he rolled up his sleeves and went to work,” he said. “He did not seek credit, but (he) looked for results.”

Oakwood Mayor Lamar Scroggs said he is going to miss Turk greatly.

“Frank was more than a friend,” he said. “He was a friend and a brother. And he was a go-to man. We could agree and disagree, and we could just love each other and go on.

“His legacy will live on. It will live on in me.”

Among his survivors are his wife, daughter, son and five grandchildren.

His family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his name to the National Parkinson’s Disease Foundation or Eagle Ranch Christian Children’s Home.