Frank Giardina, 72, passed away peacefully on October 11, 2026.  He was born October 4, 1954 to Dennis and Leona Giardina in Bluefield, West Virginia.  He grew up in a coal mining camp in McDowell County, West Virginia and later moved to Georges Creek in Kanawha County where he graduated from Dupont High School in 1972.

Frank graduated from Marshall University in 1976 and married South Charleston native, Cindy Bess, in 1977 and the couple would have five children together.  He was involved in sports journalism for the majority of his career.  Some of his stops included being the voice of the Marshall Thundering Herd, the radio voice of the Charleston Charlies (AAA Baseball), television play-by-play for the Cincinnati Reds cable TV with Hall of Fame broadcaster Lindsay Nelson, the radio voice of the East Carolina University Purple Pirates, and an athletics administrator and broadcaster for Penn State University Athletics.

He went on to host Sports Spectrum, a nationally syndicated Christian sports radio show, that aired on Christian radio stations from 2005-2011 and has contributed sports columns to several West Virginia and Pennsylvania newspapers for the last several decades. He was honored with many awards and accolades over his lifetime: Two-time State Sportscaster of the Year, inducted into the West Virginia Broadcasting Hall of Fame, inducted into the Marshall University’s W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications Hall of Fame, and the WVSWA 2023 Morehouse Award, just to name a few.

He was, above all else, a natural storyteller. It didn’t matter if he was chatting at the office, relaxing on the couch at home, serving at church, exercising at the YMCA, broadcasting on the radio, or typing away at his latest column. He was drawn to stories of sports, faith, history, and the everyday people of West Virginia—and his favorites wove all four together. He took pride in shining a light on overlooked moments and preserving forgotten tales, but what brought him the most joy was hearing back from readers, particularly those with a personal connection to his work.

Frank never met a stranger. His family and friends always joked that everywhere he went, he found someone he knew or shared a connection with.  He is survived by his wife, Cindy, his sister, Denise, his five children, Gabe (Wimberly), Erin Dore (Kevin Dore), Mary (Matt Preston), Anne Polendey (Ryan Polendey), and Jonathan (CJ), along with seven grandchildren, and many other extended family members.  He was a devout Christian and an active member of River Ridge Church Teays Valley.

Frank’s family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to the nurses and staff at the Putnam Center in Hurricane, WV, for the exceptional and compassionate care they provided him over the last few years.

A service to honor and celebrate Frank’s life will be held on December 19, 2026, at River Ridge Church Teays Valley (1 Saturn Way, Hurricane, WV 25526) with more details to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the Marshall University W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications in his honor.

Online condolences and memories may be shared by visiting www.snodgrassfuneral.com and selecting the obituary. Arrangements are in care of Snodgrass Funeral Home, South Charleston.