Robert David Trank

Bob was born on November 3, 1939, in Holland, New York, to parents Gordon and Isabel (Heintz) Trank, the second of four boys. After he graduated from Holland High School in 1957, he completed a tool & die apprenticeship at Fisher-Price Toys in East Aurora, NY. He and Vicki (Carini) Trank married soon after and were starting their family when Bob was called to active military duty in 1961. As part of the Army Reserves during the Cuban Missile Crisis, he and his family were stationed at Fort Bragg, NC, for a short time.

After his service, Bob and Vicki packed up everything again in 1966 and made a permanent move to South Florida, settling in Pompano Beach. Bob worked at Hollingsworth and Burroughs Corp. before co-founding East Coast Plastics in 1980.

East Coast Plastics proved successful, securing among its many clients major pool cleaning companies such as Barracuda, Zodiac and Kreepy Krauly, as well as developing its own-patented product, Roll Control System, a diving/boating/fishing accessory. Throughout the years Bob and Vicki would travel the country to participate in major dive and boating trade shows, from California and Las Vegas, to New Orleans and Miami.

Even with the trials and tribulations of running a company, Bob found plenty of time for fun at their place in Key Largo — weekends of boating, fishing, diving, and especially lobstering. He was very generous at heart, always pleased to host friends, neighbors and family for a diving adventure, fishing trip, or cookout.

After selling the business and retiring in 2007, leisure travel now became the new focus in their lives, traveling all over the country and the world, often with family, to places as far away as Australia, Hawaii, Ireland, Italy, and France and more. They also enjoyed many cruises and travels out west.

Not one to be idle, his hobbies in retirement went above and beyond. He combined his life experience in engineering and electronics with his creative skills and, having built his own CNC machine, began making custom wood signs. Taking his creative woodworking skills a step further, he began designing and building custom clocks of all shapes and sizes – the more elaborate the better.

His lifelong commitment to the Miami Dolphins always remained; he never missed a game. He also loved riding his bike around the neighborhood, and continued to do so well into his 80s.

Bob will be long remembered as kind and generous, light-hearted, fun-loving and God-fearing, always quick to lend a hand if anyone needed help, fixing this or that, or offering a new way of doing things.

Bob is survived by his wife Vicki (Carini) Trank, daughters Becky (Pete) McDonough, and Sheila (Bill) Niblick, and youngest brother Gordon (Colleen) Trank of South Wales, NY, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Brothers Gerald Trank and Russell Trank preceded him in death.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made ­­­to Samaritan’s Purse.