Obituary of Frank W. Pesile

Frank W. Pesile, of Huguenot, and South Jersey, passed away on Tuesday, June 2, 2020 in Staten Island University Hospital after a brief illness. He celebrated his 77th birthday on Sunday, May 31st. Born in Manhattan and brought to the island as an infant, he grew up in Port Richmond, attending P.S. 20, graduating Port Richmond High School class of 1960, and attended the City University of New York - Baruch College. Athletic in high school, his coach was Lou Trella, who guided him in PSAL meets. At age 15, he did chin ups and pull ups in excess of 33 repetitions and in 1972 Coach Trella called him and told him his record still held at that time. Frank enjoyed weight lifting in his gym, handball, road bike touring down the Jersey shore and his motorcycle. He was married to his childhood sweetheart, Kathleen (Lofrisco) Margiotta from West Brighton, celebrating 52 years, in 2019. Frank was employed by the U.S. Postal Service after high school at Canal Street and the Custom House in Manhattan until he was called to the New York City Sanitation Department, serving 28 years as a sanitation worker and foreman in districts 4, 6, in Manhattan, 1, 2 and the Arthur Kill Landfill on Staten Island. He received commendations from several sanitation commissioners during his career and served as a grand juror for five years on several Island homicides. He was also owner of Pesile Liquors in Randall Manor for 10 years. Frank always said, that the biggest thrills of his life were meeting Wernher von Braun, at Wagner College in 1965, attending the Cape Canaveral Launch of Apollo-Soyez in July 1975 as a guest of Congressman John Murphy. Guest at White House dinners with Presidents Carter, Nixon and Bush. Meeting with Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio at the Downtown Athletic Club in Manhattan. Watching his wife receive the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2001, and her Papal Knighthood as a Dame of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in 2003. Well traveled to over 42 countries, they met the British Royal Family, and in 2006, having lunch with the Vice President of Peru, Admiral Louis Gianpetri at his summer villa, surrounded by armed guards with machine guns; giving each one a cigar and saying, "Please remember my face." In addition to his wife, he is survived by his sister, Mrs. Dolores Papirman, of Whiting, NJ, brothers, Michael Jr. of Phoenix, AZ and Kenneth of Middletown, NJ with two nephews, Kenneth Jr. and Andrew, two nieces, Mrs. Lorelei Shull, of Little Silver, NJ and Ms. Melanie Pesile of Wall Township, NJ, two grandnieces, Julia and Angelina and one grandnephew, Zachary. A memorial mass for all family and friends will be held at Our Lady Star of the Sea, 5411 Amboy Road, to be announced once social distancing is relaxed from the Wuhan China Coronavirus.