Frank M. Spadafora

On May 29, 2017 of Glassboro. Age 66. Beloved husband of Barbara A. (nee Nuss). Devoted father of Michael A. (Trinette) and Tina M. Spadafora. Loving grandfather of Isaiah, Hanna and Alyssa. Dear brother of Pamela Chappell, Mary Pasquale, John, James, Paul and the late Kenneth Spadafora.

Frank was born on December 29th 1950, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the third child of Elsie and Frank Spadafora. He grew up in Brooklyn then Queens and had a paper route. He attended Aviation High School in New York City. After graduation, Frank moved to Turnersville, New Jersey with his dad, mom, brothers and sisters. He enlisted for 4 years in the Navy. After boot camp, he reported for duty at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. He was assigned to a helicopter squadron. His role was to keep the helicopters well maintained. In 1970, he met Barbara at a swim club dance, he attended with friends, while on weekend leave. They were married in 1971. They soon had 2 children, Michael and Tina. Frank’s enlistment ended just before Michael was born and he went to work for a small company, owned by his friend Bill’s uncle, that did quality assurance inspection at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant. He x-rayed welds to ensure they had no defects. In 1976, he continued this work at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and advanced to the position of Film Interpreter. He analyzed the industrial x-rays of ship components and created maps of the structural weaknesses he found so the welders could redo them.

Frank liked to build things and do renovations on homes he owned over time. His favorite things to build were decks. He also renovated several kitchens and bathrooms. Frank even built a fireplace in one home. One special project he did was to build a camper in the back of his pickup truck. He took the family on many adventurous camping trips up and down the east coast from sunny Florida to Bar Harbor, Maine. He loved visiting state and national parks, and historic landmarks. His favorite place to visit was the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. He never tired of driving the winding roadways, taking in the breathtaking views at the overlooks, and touring the caverns. As his camping experience grew, he progressed to a pop-up camper and then eventually to a conversion van. The most adventurous trip he took with the family was in 1986 when he went across the country. He visited the Grand Canyon (Arizona), Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming), the Air Force Academy (Colorado), and a Native American Reservation also in Wyoming. Frank trekked down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back to the top with his son Michael, while the girls waited anxiously for their safe return.

Frank retired early when the Navy Yard closed and pursued one of his lifelong dreams, to build an entire house. His son, Michael, purchased a property on East Holly Ave. Frank and Mike demolished the old house on the property and they built a new house on it. They also renovated an old pole barn and turned it into a workshop. As his family grew to include grandchildren, Isaiah, Hanna, and Alyssa, Frank devoted much of his time and attention to babysitting, driving them places, picking them up from school, and attending soccer games, science fairs, dance recitals, holiday concerts, Halloween parades, field days, tennis matches, gymnastic performances, robotic competitions, pumpkin launches, and mock trials. He loved his grandchildren so much and was extremely proud of all of them. The grandkids held a special place in his heart.

He took care of his ill and aging parents in the last years of their life and worked hard to prepare their house for sale after their passing. In 2008, he moved to the Village Grande at Camelot in Glassboro, New Jersey. He enjoyed being at the community pool in the summer, swapping stories and news with all of his neighbors all year long, and using his tablet to keep up with friends on Facebook. He liked to go to the Atlantic City casinos to play slot machines, eat at the buffets where he indulged in his favorites (steak, crab legs, shrimp, and Italian pasta), and swim in the indoor pools.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend his visitation Friday 12:30-2:00 PM at the Egizi Funeral Home, 119 Ganttown Rd., Washington Twp. Funeral service 2:00 PM. Inurnment, Gloucester County Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Williamstown. In lieu of flowers, donations in Frank’s memory may be made to the Veterans Advisory Council “Veterans Helping Veterans”, P.O. Box 337, Woodbury, NJ 08096. Condolences may be shared with the family at www.egizifuneral.com

“A Life Well Lived
Is Worth Remembering”