Frank A. Carillo

Frank A. Carillo 1931-2019 Born in the throes of the Great Depression, Frank’s mother Millie blessed the family with the first child of the next generation in the United States. His Uncle Clem (Scalo) was only a few years older and a strong brotherly inspiration, and he benefited from the old world wisdom from his grandmother, Josephine, and grandfather, Frank Martin, who helped raise him. Frank Anthony Carillo, aka Sonny Boy, learned toughness right from the start as the Depression led to economic hardship and WWII led to domestic chaos. Toughness led to competitiveness as he discovered sport. He was so capable at anything he tried he quickly became known as Natch (short for “the Natural” long before the movie). And it was a good thing that he was a natural ashe lost practice time to babysitting his new little brother, Peter. As he entered adolescence, he would apply his athletic talent to Cliffside Park High School and eventually New York University as the first college-bound member of his family. In 1949, NYU was the largest university in America and Division 1 for sports. They had just hired the head football coach away from Notre Dame to improve the NYU football team. Suddenly Frank A. Carillo was the new quarterback. He also was the catcher for their baseball team, well known to be a breeding ground for the Boston Red Sox at the time. And, to everyone’s (okay, no one’s) surprise, he made the basketball team as a guard during this Golden Era of NY sports, especially when New York was the center of the college basketball universe. Frank was an accomplished athlete in all three sports. He played against CCNY before and during their infamous point-shaving scandal. He hit home runs and completed passes at the Polo Grounds in numerous college games. He was the last 3 letterman at NYU as a Division 1 university. However, being a healthy young man in his prime made him a perfect candidate to be drafted into the military as the Korean War broke out - no college deferments then. The challenges of basic training were nothing to him. He gained weight during basic training and was no longer exhausted juggling studies, sports, and part-time jobs while at NYU. Frank eventually landed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina where he used his extra energy to play ball for the Fort’s teams – same three sports. This turned out to be a blessing. Fort Bragg’s commander did not let Frank get shipped to Korea with the rest of his company because he wanted him to play for Fort Bragg to support morale and have competitive advantage over the other military base teams that they would play. Remaining stateside, Frank married his lifelong sweetheart, Rose Panettieri, and they both lived in a trailer home on the edge of Fort Bragg. Frank climbed to the rank of Sergeant and served out his tour of duty as Military Police (MP). When his tour was over, he returned home with his bride and a baby on the way. Frank focused on finishing his bachelor’s degree in business administration and getting a job. As luck would have it, he was hired by a modest textile manufacturer in Closter, NJ and the next chapter of his life began: employee, father of two, and provider. As a competitor, he could not stand to see his employer be less than the best they could be. Frank embarked on learning, understanding, and then innovating for his company; successfully improving their standing in the industry. Success begat success, and within 5 years he became General Manager. A few years later, in 1963, he decided to do it for himself and his family. He became an entrepreneur and never looked back. As the years went by, he balanced hard work and long hours with a focus on family. Frank eventually adopted boating as his hobby as it allowed him to share his joy with the people he loved, be it pleasure cruising or deep-sea fishing; a hobby he maintained for almost 50 years. During those years his sons, Frank Joseph and Bruce, grew, married and eventually blessed him with grandchildren. Frank J. and Betty delivered his first of seven grandchildren, Kate, and the sight of her lit him up with a look of joy that none of us had ever seen before. Happily for Frank A., he would experience that joy six more times as Frank J. and Bruce brought into this world Natalie, Frank Raymond, Angela, Anthony, Christopher and Gina. With a growing family and a love for the ocean, Frank looked for a beach house with a marina nearby. He and Rose chose Avon-by-the Sea, the perfect place to grow close with grandchildren as they frolicked with him on the beach, took rides on boats, or went fishing off the jetty. He loved his second home so much that he became president of the condo association and ran the facility beautifully and cost-effectively for 25 years. In 2004, cancer took his beloved Rose far too soon. That year also saw the death of his mother, Millie. The two events took a mighty toll on him as he was at their sides constantly for over 9 months. It was time to physically and mentally recover, take stock, and decide what was next. Fortunately, his son Bruce was helping run the family textile business with him, so a semi-retirement plan began. In 2005, Frank and Barbara were there for one another and developed a new relationship. That relationship saw them enjoy Avon together and eventually split time between Avon and Florida. By 2010, Frank was fully retired. Assured that this Florida lifestyle was for them, Frank purchased a condo overlooking the Intracoastal. They enjoyed the magnificent scenery and sunsets. Frank was also thrilled that he was just a few minutes away from his beloved Kate and her husband, Gerry. 2016 marked the first medical setback for Frank, but he fought back with tenacity and determination. A second setback required a long and even more difficult recovery, but Frank remained strong and never gave up. He eventually relocated back to New Jersey in Old Tappan to support his recovery and have the help of his sons nearby. The blessings of great-grandchildren were bestowed upon him by Anthony, Angela, and Natalie (Noah, Lucy, Vera, Roman and Lyla). Barbara eventually joined him there where they remained together until April 14, 2019. A life well lived with much accomplished, but more importantly, with much love and dedication to family. “In lieu of flowers, the family suggests sending memorial contributions to the V Foundation for Cancer Research, 14600 Weston Parkway, Cary, NC 27513 or www.jimmyv.org.” While Frank did not pass from cancer, there is no one that embodied the V Foundation's motto, Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up, more than he.