Frank Smigowski's Obituary
Francis Robert Smigowski, 91, of Lutz, Florida, passed away on September 30, 2024. Frank was born on March 24, 1933, in Greenwich, Connecticut to Elizabeth Russo. Before graduating high school, Frank went into the Navy. After the Navy he acquired a 2-year associate's degree from college. Frank eventually relocated to Melbourne, Florida where he had an illustrious career at Harris Government System as an engineer. Early in his engineering career he was a subcontractor for NASA, and he was instrumental in the development of the Space POD escape systems to ensure astronauts' future survival rate. Frank became an avid reader of books, primarily historical in content, but ended up loving anything by Bill O’ Reilly. He retired from Harris Government System Defense Contractor in Melbourne, Florida in 1999.
Frank was known to have a very sweet, calm personality. Not really. He had a driven personality that began early in life, living in government housing, and working a job to help support his family while attending school, since his father abandoned him and his five siblings. He had to be the best at whatever he pursued. That drive helped carry him through many life challenges. Frank was also a natural athlete, with trophies from bowling to softball to his greatest love, golf.
His most famous achievement was becoming a grandfather. He retired early to become a full-time nanny for his twin grandsons. He made a strong suggestion to his loving wife that it was time to leave her job and join the team of Noni and Popi. That ended up being the most rewarding time of their lives, sharing their experiences with our twins.
Frank is the last of his six siblings to pass. He is survived by his wife Helen Smigowski, his son Mark Collins, and his grandchildren Brenden Collins and Chandler Collins.
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