Francis Michael DeBritz, of Nokesville, VA, died on July 4th, 2022, in Brewster, Massachusetts. He was born on September 11, 1934, in Brooklyn, New York. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Catherine Byrnes DeBritz; children Suzanne DeBritz Robinson (John dcd.), F. Michael DeBritz Jr. (Stacy), Teresa Cashman (John), James DeBritz (Maureen), Catherine Rivera (Enrique), and Matthew DeBritz (Christine); 19 grandchildren, and one great grandchild. He was the family anchor – respected, loved, and admired by his entire family, friends, and associates. He believed that faith in God and the love and support of family to be paramount values. He was known to tell loved ones to “Keep the Faith.”
He is preceded in death by his mother and father, Thomas and Alba DeBritz, the uncle who raised him, Nicholas Murli and his wife, Angela Murli, and his eldest daughter, Mary Angela.
Francis graduated from Brooklyn College with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and began his career at Westinghouse before moving to Syracuse, NY, to work for General Electric in defense contracting serving the Navy. It was there that one of his coworkers introduced him to her cousin, the love of his life, Catherine Byrnes. They married shortly thereafter and started their family. “Frank” worked tirelessly as a systems engineer, manager of engineering, and general manager. In his career, he led a team that brought the BSY-2 sonar systems for the USS Seawolf Submarine to Syracuse, NY, creating hundreds of jobs. He retired as the president of the NE&SS-Undersea Systems division of Lockheed Martin in Manassas, VA. He received several professional awards, including some from the US Navy. He loved his country and believed that anything is possible for those willing to work hard.
A passionate sports fan, Frank enjoyed playing, watching, and coaching throughout his life. He rooted for the NY Football Giants, Brooklyn/LA Dodgers, Syracuse basketball, and the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League. For Frank, vacation was synonymous with salt water and sea breezes. After many years of vacationing with their family on Cape Cod, Frank and Cathy built a house in Brewster, the favored gathering place of his clan.
Frank was a master storyteller. He was gifted in his ability to recall accurate facts and details of hundreds of subjects. Frank embellished these stories with entertaining impressions, emotions, and reactions, often sprinkling them with humor. He began writing poetry and stories as a hobby when he was a teenager and, in his retirement, enjoyed bringing to fruition his dream to be a published writer. He wrote two children’s books, a collection of poetry, and his memoir, From a Brooklyn Basement.
The family will receive guests at 1pm at Our Lady of the Cape Catholic Church in Brewster, MA on July 8th. A Mass of Christian burial will follow at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the House of Mercy in Manassas, VA https://houseofmercyva.org/givenow/ or to the NYC Covenant House, https://ny.covenanthouse.org/donation-form/.
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