Frank Joseph Germain

Services to celebrate the life of Frank Joseph Germain Jr. will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Depew, New York on Saturday, February 20, 2016 at 11:00am. Following the memorial service, a luncheon will be held for family and friends at Ripa’s Restaurant, 4218 Walden Avenue in Lancaster. Frank Germain passed away on Saturday, January 16, 2016 amidst love and sunshine in Southern California, where he had the good fortune to winter for 25 years. At 82 years young, Frank could still be found putting on the West Coast, shucking clams on the East Coast, and savoring a good bowl of pasta wherever he traveled. Born December 19, 1933 in Depew, New York to the late Frank Joseph Germain Sr. and Cornelia “Tot” Germain, Frank graduated from Lancaster High School in 1952. He went on to earn a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1957, tenor saxophone in hand. Frank soon joined the Bendix Corporation in Elmira, NY working in sales engineering in the automotive industry. In 1969, he was relocated to Michigan as Director of Marketing and raised three children there with his late wife, Sandy Wade, in Grosse Pointe Woods. He balanced his career with coaching little league, watching softball games, cheering for the Tigers, developing his children’s golf swings, and helping those less fortunate. Frank’s infectious personality and positive spirit touched the lives of everyone he met. “He was a great man,” echoed from golf courses in San Diego to beaches on Nantucket, from family in Buffalo and old friends in Michigan. His patience, generosity and good-natured humor resonated in all that he did, from his infamous linguini and clam sauce to quiet moments spent with grandchildren. On and off the golf course, his drives were deliberate, his strokes competitive. He rarely missed a birthday, loved to host a crowd, and cherished all things Italian. Borrowing wisdom from his collection of owls and the Dalai Lama himself, Frank valued music, education, experiencing other cultures and, above all, harmony. Frank leaves a legacy of love to his three children, Marylisa (Germain) Nichols and her husband Tom of Duxbury, Massachusetts, Marci (Germain) Teah and her husband John of Rancho Santa Margarita, California, Mark Germain and his wife Peggy of Bettendorf, Iowa and his six grandchildren, Jack, William, Emily, Olivia, Haley and Philip. Frank is survived by his sisters Nancy (Germain) Sweeney and husband John, Shirley (Germain) Connors, niece Cheryl Esquilin and grandnephew, Trey Esquilin. He also leaves behind Martha Jean Hawkes, her daughter Elizabeth Reader and grandchildren, Violet and Christian. We will all miss Frank’s kind heart and warm blue eyes. His spirit lives on. The family wishes to thank Frank’s brilliant team of doctors at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, especially Dr. Irene Ghobrial and Dr. Rodney Falk. Donations can be made in Frank’s honor to the Cardiac Amyloidosis Program, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115 also found at brighamandwomens.org