Francis "Frank" Gerard Cavanar

Frank is survived by his wife of 49 years, Mary Lamothe Cavanar. He was a loving father to Daniel Cavanar and Daniel’s husband David Fletcher-Holmes of New Bern, NC; to Julie Cavanar Hining and Julie’s husband George Hining of Chapel Hill, NC.

Frank was the proud grandfather of Corinne and Ellie Hining. He was the loyal brother of Patricia Cavanar Curran and her husband James Robinson, of Quincy, MA. He was the son of the late Frank L. Cavanar, and Rita Cunniff Cavanar, formerly of Dedham, MA.

A graduate of Cathedral High School in Boston, MA, and a proud US Army veteran, Frank left active duty as Sargent, following a tour in Vietnam. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from The University of Massachusetts at Boston, while continuing service in the Army Reserves.

Frank spent his professional life working in the insurance industry, retiring as President of NAHGA Inc. and NAHGA Claims Services, currently part of the Chalmers Insurance Group with offices in Maine and New Hampshire.

After retirement, Frank and Mary moved to North Carolina to be closer to their granddaughters, who knew him as Papa. He loved to vacation at the beach in South Carolina, where he recently spent time with his grandchildren. He also frequently traveled back to New England where he would visit with his extended family, enjoy the tranquility of Newfound Lake, and watch the Red Sox at Fenway with his sister. Frank loved the Red Sox almost as much as he loved cars; he regularly attended car shows and auctions and acquired a couple of his own classics in recent years.

Above all things, Frank was a devout Catholic and loved God. He was a loyal, loving, and supportive person, and he will be greatly missed. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 11401 Leesville Rd., Raleigh, on Thursday, November 7 at 2pm.

In Lieu of flowers, in Frank’s memory please consider a gift to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh, 7200 Stonehenge Drive Raleigh, NC 27613-1620. https://www.catholiccharitiesraleigh.org/donate/

If sending flowers for the service, please have them delivered to Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC, by 9am on Thursday, November 7th.

Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC, is serving the Cavanar family.