Frank was born on January 16, 1936, in Los Angeles, the son of Samuel and Josephine (Fiorello) Locascio. He grew up in Rockford, IL, and graduated from West High School in 1954. He married Esther Arletta “Toots” Smith on February 22, 1958, and proudly served 20 years in the Navy and Air Force, including service on the USS’s Shenandoah and Hancock. He participated in Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon, Vietnam, in April 1975, while on the Hancock.
After retiring from the military in 1980, Frank returned to Loves Park and worked many jobs, retiring from civilian work as a security guard at Warner Lambert. He was a member of Forest Hills Evangelical Free Church and volunteered for many years at Midway Village and as a patient transporter at Swedish American Hospital in Rockford.
Frank was preceded in death by his wife, parents, and three brothers, John (Joan), Vincent (Nancy), and Carl Locascio. He is survived by a daughter, Carol (Jeff) Thomas; four sons, Mike (Maria), Frank, Jr., “Bob” (Beth), Ken (Juah), and Greg (Esther) Locascio; grandchildren Candy, Cathy, Kaitlyn, Sydney, Mallory, and Jon; and great-grandchildren Chase, Lauren, and Nova.
A funeral service with full military honors will be held on May 22, 2026, at 10 a.m. at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Loves Park, IL. Interment of Frank and Arletta will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Veterans’ Home.
