- Date Of Birth: May 12, 1908
- Date Of Death: August 14, 2006
- State: Indiana
Capt. Frank Rizzo of Elkhart died Aug. 14, 2006, at his home at the age of 98.
Born May 12, 1908, in Palermo, Italy, he was the son of Commander and Mrs. Anthony Rizzo of Genoa. He was a graduate of the Naval Academy in Genoa.
During the summer of 1938, he met Miss Nora Edna Maioli while she was crossing the Atlantic on the Italian ocean liner “Rex.” They spent many happy hours together on the ship and kept up regular correspondence after Miss Maioli returned to Mishawaka.
Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Julius Maioli, had migrated from the Italian village of Forli, the same place Italian dictator Benito Mussolini spent his early years. Mr. and Mrs. Maioli aided their daughter by writing “Il Duce” and asking him to grant Capt. Rizzo a furlough to marry Nora. Their request was granted, and in 1940, Capt. Rizzo arrived in New York City on the S.S. Conte Di Savoia. Through special appeal to Pope Pius XII in Rome, the couple was granted a special dispensation to marry during the Lenten season.
Capt. Rizzo became a U.S. citizen and served in the U.S. Army’s Intelligence Division. In 1947, he and Nora moved to Elkhart, where he pioneered television sales in the area. He later took a position with the Department of Commerce for the U.S. government, and during that time he organized and executed trade fairs throughout the world.
He traveled extensively throughout his life, and had traveled around the world four times prior to his marriage. He was fluent in seven languages, and one of his greatest honors was having personally met four popes.
Capt. Rizzo remained active in local government and international sales until his 80s. He was involved with many phases of Elkhart government: He served on the Safety Board under the direction of Mayor David Miller; the Human Relations Commission; the John F. Kennedy White House Commission; and, locally, supported the civil rights movement.
He was a 3rd and 4th degree member of the Elkhart Knights of Columbus, and received the Columbus Award from the Italian American Heritage Society of Notre Dame. Capt. Rizzo was named Elkhart County Labor Day Parade’s Citizen of the Year, and received a Sagamore of the Wabash Award from the State of Indiana. He also was the oldest living Cape Horner.
The Rizzos were blessed with two daughters, Rose Marie (Richard) Spickard of Perry, Mich., and Donna Jean (Tim) Mahler of Frankfort, Ill. The couple had four grandchildren: Tim Mahler II, Stacie (Spickard) Capua, Anne (Mahler) Mauriello and Steven Spickard. Ten great-grandchildren followed: Megan Mauriello, 10; Allison Mauriello, 8; Zachary Capua, 7; Nicole Mauriello, 6; Andrew Capua, 5; Nicolas Mahler, 4; Jacob Mahler, 3; Blake Mauriello, 2; Reed Spickard, 1; and Jaden Mahler, 1. Capt. Rizzo was anxiously awaiting the arrival of his 11th great-grandchild, Grace Spickard.
