- Date Of Birth: January 18, 1930
- Date Of Death: December 13, 2019
- State: New Jersey
Frank Angelo Segalla, born, 1/18/1930, was the only son of Anna and John Segalla. Born in Trieste, Italy and Yugoslavia, respectively, his mother and father raised him in Jersey City, NJ. Frank was a 1948 graduate of Synder High School. In 1949, he married the absolute love of his life, Josephine D’Alessandro also of Jersey City. In 1950, he enrolled in the United States Air Force as a radio operator in the Korean War. He was stationed in Guam and South Korea and proudly served his beloved country until 1952 flying 48 missions in B-29 airplanes throughout the South Pacific and transatlantically. Upon his return from the service, he worked in and managed his parents’ diner, the US 1 Diner, on Route 1 in Linden. During the same time, he joined the Boilermakers Union, Local #28. His tenure as a Union welder and Boilermaker lasted over 40 years. He was great at his job and well respected among his fellow Boilermakers for his work ethic, steady hand and lack of “bitching.”
Frank and Josephine had two sons, Frank J. Segalla and Thomas J. Segalla whom they raised in Scotch Plains, NJ. In 1970, he built his second home in Seaside Park where he lived until he passed. Frank doted on Josephine and gave her anything and everything she could dream of including, in 1970, building her a beach house thereby giving her the gift of peace known only by those who live by the shore. The bleach blonde bouffant, heel-clad, frosted-lip stick wearing Josephine was a spit-fire and sarcastic “piece of work” who made life fun and never dull for the even and stable Frank. He tinkered in the garage while she worshipped the sun on the patio as they listened to music together and she burned his dinner to a crisp on the back patio grill. Each night, he would say “Babe, that hit the spot.” Together they watched the most spectacular sunsets from their bay view porch. They shared a passionate and fun-filled marriage until her untimely passing at the young age of 55 in 1985. Frank had so many talents and was great at so many things. He could diagnose and fix nearly any problem within a home, in a car and on a boat.
He would help you do it too and you barely had to ask. He enjoyed boating and crabbing in the Barnegat Bay. He was a tinkerer extraordinaire and toiled in his garage while a sweet smelling cherry pipe hung from his lip as he listened to big band, swing, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennet. He loved music. He had a distinctly deep and smooth movie-star-quality speaking and singing voice. He could play the accordion jubilantly and marveled at his father’s command of spoons. Frank was an avid NY Giants fan and screamed at the television in excitement and disgust over games when he wasn’t sitting in section 319 at Giants Stadium eating way too many peanuts and far too many hot dogs. In civilian life, he was also a hand radio operator; his handle and sign off being “W2FFH.” Frank was the true patriarch of his adoring family. He was named after Saint Francis and his ultra religious mother made sure he knew the importance of his namesake. He took that responsibility literally.
Through his lifelong and unequivocal sense of piety, duty, loyalty, responsibility to country, family and community, Frank generously cared for and endlessly gave to his family as well as innumerable charitable organizations without hesitation and with regularity. He lived meagerly and simply in reverence to his patron saint so that he could give to those he loved and those in need. He was the rock of his family and friends and he encouraged and loved us all immensely calling us to check in routinely so he could offer himself to anyone who might need anything at all. Frank was our moral paradigm. He was large man with the most sensitive and compassionate spirit; kind and level headed and always willing to help anyone in need. Never cross or mean spirited, never spoke ill of another, he saw the good in humanity and he was the most wonderful man that many of us have ever been blessed to know.
We are so grateful to have been in his circle of love for the duration of his long and well lived life. He was pure, true, loving, supportive, selfless and generous and everything you could have ever hoped for in a husband; father; grandfather and great-grandfather. Later in life, Frank married Shirley Fitzgerald in 2003 and remained married to her until her passing in 2014. On 12/13/19 Frank passed away at Brick Hospital just 35 days short of his 90th birthday. He was surrounded by his loving family. Frank is survived by his two sons, Frank J. Segalla and Thomas J. Segalla as well as his daughter-in-law, Joanne Segalla in addition to 6 grandchildren: Shane Tutzauer; Ryanne Vigliotti; Taylor Duffy; Nicole Segalla; Chelsea Segalla; & Ashley Segalla and 6 great-grandchildren: Sophia Vigliotti & Angelo Vigliotti; Jackson & Finley Duffy; Brynn Tutzauer and Aliyah Segalla-Fergusen.
