Frank J. Sparacia

Frank Sparacia, age 82 of Wayne, died peacefully on Thursday April 4, 2019.

Born in Brooklyn, Frank married Joelle Arciero on June 20, 1959.  They met at a traditional church dance and fell in love shortly thereafter. They moved to Wayne in 1969 with their two children and have been residents ever since.  

Frank proudly served his country from 1957-1963 in the Army as Specialist 4th Class, both on active duty and in the reserves. Here he was introduced to the computer field.  He found his professional calling eventually becoming a Vice President of Management Information Systems originally for Revlon Corporation in Edison, and then subsequently for Simon & Schuster in Old Tappan.

Affectionately known as “Cheech” and “Poppie”, Frank was a loving husband; father, grandfather, father-in-law, brother, uncle, friend and godfather.  He enjoyed life and found happiness in fishing, golfing, and traveling.  But his true passion was spending time with his family.  Sunday family dinner was a sacred time for Frank and was not something to be missed.  Summertime was Frank’s favorite season, and he loved working in the yard, in his tomato garden, or tanning on the beach at Wildwood during their annual family vacation. While others were shading themselves, Frank was soaking up the rays.  Crabbing in Barnegat Bay became a mandatory summertime event as well.

Frank is survived by his loving wife of 59 years - Joelle of Wayne; his two children: Patricia Missey and her husband Todd Missey of Cary, NC and James Sparacia and his wife Marialynn of Elmwood Park; his five grandchildren: Andrew, Dominick, Ryan, Giana, and Gabrielle; his brother Richard Sparacia and his wife Teri of Atlantic Highlands; his brothers-in-law: Joseph Arciero of Las Vegas, and Henry Larsen and his wife Donna of Fort Myers, Fla; his sister-in-law Anne Arciero – wife of his late brother-in-law Vincent Arciero of Naples Florida; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and godchildren.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Frank’s name are asked to consider St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Processing, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959, or online at stjude.org