Frank J. Fazzalore, 96, financial consultant, WWII vet, and Bucks County Community College trustee
Mr. Fazzalore was remembered as a public servant "motivated by trying to do the best thing."
Frank J. Fazzalore, 96, a former Lower Makefield Township supervisor and financial consultant who served in World War II and was a trustee for Bucks County Community College, died Wednesday, Nov. 20, of coronary artery disease.
With a passion for his Bucks County home, Mr. Fazzalore brought his financial expertise and sharp mind to many local boards, community groups, and other organizations, including his church.
Born in the northwestern Pennsylvania town of Farrell, Mr. Fazzalore grew up in an Italian American family. He graduated from Farrell High School in 1941 and drove a beer truck before enlisting in the Army in 1943.
A gunner in World War II, Mr. Fazzalore was wounded in Germany in 1945. After recovering, he served as an Army clerk in Paris. He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.
Returning to Pennsylvania, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in finance at Grove City College and graduated from Bucknell University in 1950 with a master’s degree in commerce and finance. While in college and graduate school, he would often hitchhike back to Farrell to see Mary Lombardi, whom he had met on a blind date. They married in 1950.
The couple adopted two daughters, Mary Frances, now deceased, and Jamie. They were married for 66 years. She died in 2016.
“He said to the day he died, ‘Your mother made me the man I am,’” recalled his daughter, now Jamie Fazzalore-Truelove.
Mr. Fazzalore spent most of his finance career at the battery and electronics company Gould Battery, becoming comptroller. The job took his family from Yardley to other states, but they returned to Bucks County for good in 1975.
After retiring in the 1980s, Mr. Fazzalore ran a financial consulting firm. He and his wife loved to travel, and they went on more than 40 cruises.
Mr. Fazzalore also loved Lower Makefield Township, where he spent 13 years on the board of supervisors in the 1990s and 2000s. Mr. Fazzalore’s smiling face was at nearly every community event, those who knew him recalled.
He played bridge, was in a local veterans’ group, and served in various Bucks County organizations, including the performing arts center, the orchestra, and the community college. He was active in his church, St. Ignatius, and co-chaired the committee to build a new rectory.
“Wherever he ended up, he ended up being on the board or something,” his daughter said. “He had this financial mind that was so sharp.”
Mr. Fazzalore was instrumental in the building of a community center in Lower Makefield. The center opened in 2018, with a seniors’ room named for him.
He was also was active in building a local veterans’ monument, preserving farmland, and managing development in Lower Makefield, recalled State Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D., Bucks), who became friends with him after joining the board of supervisors when Mr. Fazzalore was chair in 2003.
Mr. Fazzalore cared more about getting the right things done than about partisan politics, those who knew him said. He was a Republican but took Santarsiero, a Democrat, under his wing. “He was motivated by trying to do the best thing for the town,” Santarsiero said.
Mr. Fazzalore used his tough-but-fair ethos at home, too, pushing his children to dedicate themselves to education and community service. Though he worked “all the time,” he never missed his kids’ important events, his daughter said.
He and his wife instilled in their family a mission for helping others and serving the community.
“Wherever he went, he would be like the mayor," his daughter said. "He would constantly introduce himself to people.”
Mr. Fazzalore joined the Bucks County Community College board of trustees in 1996 and served until his death.
“‘Fazz’ was a valued contributor to policy development and provided rock-solid financial acumen which he shared with his colleagues to ensure the long-term viability of the college,” board chair Elizabeth Fineberg said.
In addition to his daughter, Mr. Fazzalore is survived by two grandsons.
A viewing and service were Sunday, Nov. 24 and Monday, Nov 25.
Donations may be made to the Bucks County Community College Foundation, 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, Pa. 18940.