Francis J. Moldan

Francis John Moldan, a.k.a. Franko to those who knew him, passed away at the age of 76 on Wednesday, January 19th, 2022 at Honor Health Osborn, in Scottsdale, AZ, after a long battle with cancer and various health issues, complicated at the end with Covid-19. Franko was well known in Scottsdale and beyond as the long-time bartender and bar manager at the Grapevine Restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale, where he had worked since 1976. Franko was a kind and supportive mentor to many employees throughout his years at the Grapevine and was loved for his dry humor, hard work ethic, and knowledge of and enthusiasm for sports. He was a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan and is the inventor of the “Franko’s Mai Tai” cocktail. Prior to the Grapevine, Franko worked as a social worker at the St. Cloud Children’s Home in Minnesota. He graduated from Crosier High School in Onamia, MN in 1963, and attended college at St. John’s University. Francis was born on April 12, 1945 in New Ulm, Minnesota, as the second child of John and Loretta Moldan. He is survived by his two sisters, Berny (Jim) Berger, of Gibbon, MN, and Terri (Randy) Antone of Ames, IA; four nieces and nephews: Angie (Frank) Spinelli, Mark Berger, Tiffany (Cason) Antone/ Murphy and Trevor Antone; and grand-nieces and nephews Finnegan and Daschle Murphy, Ethan and Ella Berger, and Erin Spinelli. He is predeceased by his brother James Moldan in 2007. There will be a celebration of life, February 13th, at the Grapevine, in Scottsdale.