‘Humble, beautiful human being': Friends and family hold funeral services for Frank Kwasnica

Friends and family from across North Texas gathered in Grand Prairie on Friday morning for funeral services honoring the life of Frank Kwasnica.

Three men are charged with capital murder, accused of beating to death the 52-year-old grandfather.

Family, childhood friends and co-workers filled St. Michael Catholic Church in Grand Prairie with song, prayer and a lot of memories.

Family invited NBC 5 to hear from some of the people who knew and loved the Sam’s Club employee.

Kwasnica’s eldest daughter Siarra Radley wants to thank the community for the outpouring of support.

She says the funeral services were beautiful.

“I’m very, very grateful to everybody for showing up to show how special my dad was and how he impacted everybody’s life,” said Radley.

By all accounts, the son, father of three and grandfather was funny and dependable.

“Frank was just a humble, beautiful human being,” said former Sam’s co-worker Chris High. “[He would] come to work every day on time, ready to work, ready to help, just a real genuine bubbly guy. Give you the shirt off his back.”

He liked to crack jokes and was always willing to help deliver pickup orders to customers outside.

Lori Jones has known Kwasnica since the third grade.

“Frank was the kindest person that I’ve known,” said Jones.

She says several years ago Kwasnica found out her grandmother was sick and that she was unable to help her and rushed to help.

“He made sure that my grandmother was fed,” said Jones. “He made homemade chicken noodle soup and took it to her and helped her with the spoon to eat it and the next day he made chicken and dumplings and then he made his famous lasagna. He was a cook and I think that my mee-maw probably didn’t want to have me back over there. She probably wanted Frank to keep coming over to help her. That was the kind of person he was.”

It didn’t surprise her that Kwasnica was helping someone on the last day of his life.

According to Arlington police, the Grand Prairie resident had given a co-worker a lift to an apartment complex on Blue Water Drive on January 19.

Arlington Police Department’s ‘Real Time Crime Center’ reportedly captured an incident in the parking lot of the complex.

Witnesses reported hearing an argument and physical altercation in the parking lot between Kwasnica and three men later identified as Norlan Yahir Gomez Torres, and brothers Brayan Josadat Amador Vasquez and Jared Samir Amador Vasquez.

The three suspects are accused of beating Kwasnica to death before stealing his Ford Mustang, according to arrest warrants in the case.

The beating, with what’s only described as long and sharp objects, was so severe, police say, it took days to positively identify the victim.

Detectives used surveillance video, cell phone video shot by a tow truck driver, and license plate reading technology to track down the three men who are Honduran nationals.

Kwasnica’s family later found the victim’s stolen car at another apartment complex and reported it to police.

Detectives found Gomez Torres’ cell phone inside Kwasnica’s car along with a bloodied white shoe that did not belong to Kwasnica.

The tow truck driver’s cell phone video, in police custody, is described as extremely disturbing and shows Gomez Torres walking toward the witness holding a long object in his hand, according to an arrest warrant.

Gomez Torres’ criminal history also shows he was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in October 2023, though details of what led up to the encounter are not yet known.

The Amador Vasquez brothers reportedly confessed to the heinous crime.

All three capital murder suspects remain in the Tarrant County Jail on $500,000 bond each.

The lead detective in the case tells NBC 5 the motive is not yet clear, but ‘audio evidence’ points to an argument over a collision or a road rage incident involving the victim and suspects before the attack.

The family hopes Arlington police and the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office will bring justice in the case that has shattered them.

Radley hopes the public knows this about her father:

“He would’ve done anything for anybody,” she said. “He will be remembered forever. He was so special, and I wish this wouldn’t have happened, so he could’ve impacted more people’s lives.”