Obituary of Franklin A. Lucard

Franklin (Luke) Lucard, accomplished sportsman, corporate executive, veteran, husband, father, and friend passed away April 30, 2013, at the venerable age of 99, following complications from a stroke. Born January 20, 1914, in Rochester, NY, the only child of young immigrants Adolph Lucard(i) of St. Galen, Switzerland and Susan (Kodweis) Lucard of the Rhine Paltz region of Germany. Frank was emblematic of the American self-made man. From modest beginnings, through hard work, determination, and innate abilities he achieved remarkable success in his professional and personal life. He grew up in the German-American section of Rochester, NY. At the age of 12, he lost his father unexpectedly in a workplace accident, leaving his mother to support the family, and necessitating a move into his grandmother's house. Frank, instilled with an appreciation for sports from his father, was a gifted and talented athlete. He excelled at many sports, but particularly soccer and baseball. By the age of 15, he was playing semi-pro baseball in the industrial leagues around Rochester and making a name for himself as a pitcher. At 16, he left school to begin a printer's apprenticeship. After two years, at the prompting of a mentor, he accepted a scholarship to Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, in order to finish high-school. At Mercersburg, he made the acquaintance of Bob Conrad, a friendship that would span the remainder of their lives. After graduating from Mercersburg, Frank eschewed a soccer scholarship to Penn State. But instead, at Bob's urging, he enrolled at Lehigh University in the fall of 1934. This decision necessitated him having to work his way through college. Frank joined the Chi Phi fraternity, achieved All-American designations for both soccer and baseball, and graduated as a chemical engineer in the spring of 1938. After graduation, parlaying his baseball skills and new college degree, he took a job with a coal company in Revloc, PA, where he split time between mineral analysis and pitching for the coal company's baseball team. It was here, while attending a dance social in the neighboring town of Ebensburg, that he met his future wife, the lovely Catharine Barker Gardner. They were wed on November 23, 1940. He gave baseball one last stab, attending the Philadelphia Athletic's spring training in 1940, but was told his hands were too small to endure as a big league pitcher. At the out break of WWII, both Frank and Catharine enlisted in the service - Catharine in the WAVES, and Frank in the Navy's Construction Battalion (Seabees) where he saw duty in the Pacific Theatre. He was also once more called upon for his baseball prowess, playing for the Navy in the ultra competitive inter-service baseball league that flourished during the war, a morale boost for the troops. He played against the major league stars of the day. With the war's end, in the spring of 1946, Frank and Catharine took a long postponed honeymoon, going on a ten week car odyssey through the southwest US and Mexico. After briefly considering a career as a major league umpire, and at Catharine's "advice," Frank took a job with the Penn Salt Chemical Company in Philadelphia in 1946. He rose through the corporate ranks eventually becoming Corporate Vice President of the Specialty Chemical Group. Frank and Catharine settled in Fort Washington, PA, and started their family, having three sons: Franklin G. 1948, Mark B. 1950, and Richard W. 1952. Frank was an ardent political conservative and a man not timid about expressing his opinions. He grew to become a devoted, but frustrated Philly sports fan. He was an avid gardener. He fueled his competitive fires by becoming a champion golfer and bowler. And through it all, there was always fishing, his life long passion, and a joy first shared with his father. He fished for trout and salmon across North America. He retired from Penn Walt in 1975, which allowed him to pursue fulltime his love for fishing. In 1975, they bought a home in Everglades City, FL, to be in the heart of big game fishing. They moved to Marco Island, FL in 1983 to be closer to medical help for Catharine's health problems. Catharine, his wife of 57 years, died February 15th, 1997, from congestive heart failure, after years of debilitating arthritis. Her passing left a huge hole in his life. As a widower, Frank found companionship with a long time family friend, Marion Fetterolf, enjoying her company and friendship these last many years. Frank suffered a severe stroke in July, 2002, which left him weakened and aphasic. In order to be closer to his sons, he was moved back to PA. In February, he was hospitalized from a series of small strokes, which left him further debilitated. He passed peacefully on the evening of April 30, 2013. A memorial service will be held Sunday May 19,2013 at 2:30pm at the Chapel of the Artman Home,250 N. Bethlehem Pike,Ambler,Pa. 19002