I've given you quite a timeline below to help trigger memories of when you may have crossed paths with Frank or the whole family.

I know many of you have already "posted" to our various Facebook pages or the Nikon Cafe, but we would love to have a centralized Uncle Frank Memorial that family and friends can enjoy.

If you have trouble uploading photos - change your browser!

Thanks for sharing your memories with us and for being a good friend to Frank.

The Richardsons

Ballroom Dancing and the YMCA

Prior to his retirement years I had purchased a membership to the YMCA where Frank began lifting weights, but he would never join in group exercise room activities - although he did like to watch! He made a whole new group of friends with that membership.

Later I dragged him kicking and screaming to ballroom dance lessons figuring that if a guy could play guitar and sing he must have some hidden "rhythm" in his body parts. Who knew he would end up being our Y's first official ballroom dance instructor!

Photography

Frank embraced the digital world and all that new technology brought with it; as a dedicated "gadget" and guy's toys man he was in heaven in the post millennium world he retired into.

Frank entered the digital world though a gift of a small camera from our children; always one to "upgrade" his toys that gift turned into what I referred to as a rather expensive hobby.

To alleviate my fears regarding the expensive equipment that kept arriving via FedEx - he  became a part time wedding, family and product photographer. He also became an active member - as Uncle Frank - on the Nikon Cafe and other photography forum groups.

Here's a link to Frank's online photo site - https://fdrphoto.smugmug.com/ 

Online Investing

With investment content now delivered instantly via search engines Frank began actively researching and managing parts of our portfolio. Though, I must state it would have been nice if the stock exchange had not had so many ups and downs in the last 15 years! For some time Silicon Investor has been one of the investment forums that Frank actively participated in.

Grandbabies - they are the best part of growing old!

We waited a long time for the "math" to work (my prediction 2 kids = 4 grandkids finally came true). By then Frank had begun to fear he would be too old to enjoy grandkids when, or if, they finally came. His fears were for not as 4 little girls finally joined the family ranks and he had energy to spread around to them all; luckily Frank defined "nap-time" as quality time spent together.  He once again got to relearn the words to songs like Puff the Magic Dragon, so he could impress a new generation of girls!

Frank and Nancy met in late 1969 when they were next door neighbors in a Newark, N.J. high-rise building near the airport. Apparently, it was well known that a great number of flight attendants lived in the building, so many young men flocked to that location! I understood he planned to remain a confirmed bachelor, but we married December 1971.

During his college years and up to the late 90's Frank worked in the technology sales end of the high tech industry. He held every role from Sales Rep through VP of Sales working for a rather short list of companies including longer stints with Texas Instruments in Dallas & UK as well as Unitrode and NDK America in San Jose. It took about six+ corporate moves before we landed in San Jose.

He loved the "game" of selling which included a lot of B.S., wheeling and dealing, some exotic travel, playing golf while building relationships, the benefits of sometimes "generous" expense accounts, company cars, mentoring younger staff ALL WHILE being able to attend after-school athletic events with other "sales guy" dads. All that before cell phones became the norm!

Frank was the middle child in a family with three boys; they spent the majority of their early years on the Jersey Shore. Frank graduated from Neptune High School and Monmouth College in the 60's.

I am sure he had a lot of fun and hopefully only a little trouble as he began working the "carnie" games at the beach-and-board-walk from his very early teens.

As a young adult - who was a member of Alpha Theta Chi while at Monmouth - I would imagine the scope of that "play" escalated a bit as his guitar playing and folk song singing talents may have improved his social status with the ladies?  :-)  We know in later years it improved his standing with his granddaughters, who loved to sing with and be sung to by PopPop.

If you were there feel free to share memories and photos!