Pat Frink grew up in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, in a single-parent family with his older brother, Mike, and their mother, Madge, who worked several jobs at a time.

[1] Frink attended Wheat Ridge High School, where he starred as a 6'4" shooting guard.

[5] After his basketball career ended, he focused on caring for his daughter, Kody, who was born with Rett syndrome and had a life expectancy of about seven years.

He lived on a ranch in Tucson, Arizona, and taught classes at an Indian reservation school.

[6][7] Pat Frink was survived by four sons, Shane, Gant, Garrett and Dylan, one daughter, Shalom, and eight grandchildren; Maxwell, Madalyn, Caleb, Mackenzie and four others.