Shrewsbury – Frank G. Michalak, 98, passed away peacefully on April 12, 2021. Frank was born on Jan. 24, 1923 in Shrewsbury to Stephen Michalak and Mary (Warlinska) Michalak.
Besides his parents, Frank was preceded in death by his wife, Jane (Smith) Michalak in 1982; brothers Joseph and “Jack,” Carl, and William Michalak; and sisters Frances Milde, Rose McCardle and Vandis Jewell. He is survived by his beloved children, Frank Michalak II (wife Jeannine and grandson Jonathan) of Mariposa, Calif., and his daughter, Lisa Michalak and her partner Robert Bruzzese of Worcester. He also leaves many nieces and nephews.
Frank’s career involved scientific glassblowing and sign making. His skills and talents ranged from baking muffins to fabricating car parts or anything he set his mind to.
He was a gifted athlete and a four-letter man at Shrewsbury High School and Worcester Academy. He rowed at the Head of the Charles Regatta. (Renowned U Penn coach Jack Kelly called him one of the best bowmen he’d ever seen.) Many who knew Frank described him as a true Renaissance man. He was accepted at several Ivy League schools. He left Brown University to serve throughout the European Theater with the Army Air Force. He kept many friends from his service years, and was the last living member of his World War II division.
After the war, Frank attended university in Oklahoma before moving back East to Shrewsbury, where he and Jane raised their family and entertained a large and diverse group of friends. As a proud veteran and member of the Victor Quaranta VFW Post, he marched in the honor guard at Memorial Day parades.
Frank lived there for 93 years before moving to Golden Pond Assisted Living & Memory Care
(Hopkinton), where he will be fondly remembered for his singing voice, especially his renditions of “You Are My Sunshine” and “Show Me the Way to Go Home.” A gentleman and scholar, Frank exhibited a keen wit and vast intellect. A lover of literature and voracious reader, he could recite many poems by heart, including his favorite: “I” (Kipling).
He was ahead of his time, a man for all seasons, who attributed his longevity to living generously, healthily and artfully. He often related what he deemed the necessities of life: “light, color and movement.”
Frank’s family is profoundly grateful for the fine care he received from Brookhaven Hospice and staff at Golden Pond.
Despite his generous and memorable actions, Frank was a modest, humble man who will be greatly missed by those who had the honor and privilege to know and love him.
A private service is being planned with Military Honors to be held at Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne.
