Francis Foster Cappo Jr.

He was married to his devoted wife, Jane, for 64 years. Together they built a life centered around family, hard work, tennis, and an endless succession of projects—both planned and unplanned.

Frank was a good provider and a man who could fix just about anything. He had a sharp, practical mind and an extraordinary ability to understand how things worked and he could figure out how to make them work again - whether it was a car, appliance, computer, or pinball machine. His talents ranged from the small and unexpected—like reattaching Barbie doll legs that seemed to constantly fall off, to helping a friend in need by getting their car back on the road. When something in the family needed to be repaired, remodeled, or built, Frank was the person everyone turned to. He gladly shared that knowledge with his sons and son-in-law, passing along not only his skills but also his curiosity about how things worked.

Over the years, Frank’s projects grew in size and scope. He built a fireplace surround, bookcase, and mantel in the family’s first home—a beautiful piece that later became the site of a family “who-done-it” mystery when names were carved into it by one or both of his young sons. He went on to build retaining walls, block patios, and numerous decks. After constructing a two-car garage to house his woodworking equipment, he remodeled the kitchen and designed and built the oak cabinets himself. He especially enjoyed helping with projects his children and grandchildren were working on, or even just hearing about them. He could quickly visualize what needed to be done, ask the right questions, and often see possibilities others had missed.

His workshop was famously a bit chaotic, but Frank knew exactly where everything was—or at least he was confident he did. He knew if a tool was borrowed and returned while he wasn’t around. There was a good chance he would later ask, “Who was in my workshop?”

Frank worked for Philco in Philadelphia before joining IBM, where he spent his career for 32 years in New York. He retired from IBM as an Electrical Engineer. His technical abilities were recognized professionally as well; his name appears on several packaging patents.

He was also a volunteer firefighter in New York, for over ten years. He took his responsibilities seriously—even sleeping with his firefighter boots beside his bed and a blue light on the dashboard of his car. He participated enthusiastically in firehouse activities, including softball, parades, fundraisers, and administrative posts.

One particularly memorable hot summer day, Frank participated in a fireman’s parade. His family watched anxiously because they couldn’t find him among the marchers. Then, suddenly, Smokey the Bear waved at them with both hands. There was no mistaking him.

Frank had a lifelong love of tennis. His love of the game began around 1971, and it quickly became a family affair. He and Jane would take the children to the public courts after dinner. The children would spend most of the time chasing the occasional tennis ball that went over the fence. If they were lucky, they were allowed to play the last five minutes before it became too dark.

Frank and Jane were members of a local tennis club. They eventually owned and operated Love Tennis Pro Shop for ten years. He owned Adidas warmups in nearly every color, a collection that made considerably more sense in New York than it did after moving to Florida.

After an early retirement from IBM, Frank spent a year completing renovations at home before returning to work. He relocated to New Jersey, where he worked for Lockheed Martin for another five years on U.S. Navy combat systems.

When he finally retired for good, Frank and Jane moved to Florida. Retirement did not mean slowing down. Besides playing tennis at his local club, Frank played nearly every day with his son, Frank. He was particularly proud to have competed in the Florida Seniors Tournament in 2017.

Frank’s greatest pride, however, was his family.

He is survived by his wife, Jane, and their three children: Deanna (John); Frank (Michelle); and Duane (Dwala).

He was affectionately known as “PopPop” to his nine grandchildren: John (Amy); Nick (Ellen); Andy (Julie); Rachel (Marco); Brianna (Reid); Mackenzie; Avery; Kerry; and Vincent.

He was a great-grandfather to Callie.

Frank is also survived by his sister, Joan (Bob), and his brother, Richard (Chris), as well as cousins, nieces and nephews.

Frank will be remembered for his intelligence, his mechanical mind, his willingness to help, his love of tennis, his Italian family meals and homemade ravioli, his collection of colorful tennis warmups, and, of course, his beloved 1963 red Chevrolet Stingray Corvette. The Corvette was named “Rory” by his youngest grandson and remained in Frank’s possession right up until the end.

But most of all, Frank will be remembered as the person you called when something needed fixing and the person who would probably have a few questions and suggestions even if you hadn’t asked.

His legacy lives on in the things he built, the skills he passed on, the projects he encouraged his grandchildren to tackle, the many lives he touched, and, most importantly, in the family he loved.

Live. Love. Laugh. Lob. And drive a red Corvette.