Obituary of Frank R. Coccaro

Frank R. Coccaro died peacefully at home on October 20, 2014 in Hattiesburg, MS at the age of 90, surrounded by his loving family. Frank is survived by his wife Rose and his three children Patricia Coccaro Calabrese and her husband Dr. Anthony Calabrese, Dr. Rosemarie Coccaro Conforti and her husband Christopher Piscitelli and Frank Coccaro and his wife Lois Coccaro. He is also survived by his three grandchildren, Stephanie Coccaro, Steven Coccaro and Julianna Calabrese and his nephews Dr. Alfred Coccaro, John Wuestman, Denis Wuestman and Anthony Coccaro. He is preceded in death by his brother Anthony Coccaro, his sisters Caroline Coccaro Wuestman and Carmella Coccaro. Frank was born on January 20, 1924 in Brooklyn, NY to Andrew Coccaro and Mary Libretta Coccaro. He served proudly in the 160th Engineer Combat Battalion of the Untied States Army during WWII. He served as a communication lineman in active combat throughout Normandy, Northern France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. Following his return from the war, he married Rose Principe in Brooklyn, NY and resided in Bergen Beach with his family for 50 years. They celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary on September 11, 2014. He owned Mercury Plastics on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, NY where he designed molds for popular children’s toys from Spock ears to Hot Wheels car tires and the first injection-molded Christmas tree. He was an active parishioner of St. Bernard Church and was instrumental in raising funds for the first parish church. He enjoyed recounting his adventures during WWII, spending time with his family and with the many beloved dogs he and his family adopted throughout the years. Frank was an avid reader, a car aficionado and a clotheshorse who could not resist a great pair of shoes. A wake is scheduled for Friday, October 24, 4-8 p.m. at Marine Park Funeral Home. A funeral will be held Saturday, October 25, St. Bernard Church, 2055 East 69th Street, Brooklyn, NY, 9:30 a.m. Burial will follow at St. John Cemetery, 80-01 Metropolitan Ave, New York, NY. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Smile Train at www.smiletrain.org.