Frank J. Hughes Jr.

Frank J. Hughes, Jr. Memorial Frank was born Friday, November 21, 1924, in Wilkes-Barre, PA, the son of the late Frank and Elizabeth Hughes. At the age of 5, he fell in love with trains when he got his first train set as a Christmas present. He loved everything about trains and owned quite a few in his lifetime, from N-gauge to G-gauge. He had a large layout in the basement of the house on Orchard Road for many years and always had a train running around the Christmas tree. He even worked on the Pennsylvania Railroad during WWII. Frank also loved music. From an early age, both he and his sister, Catherine (Hughes) Reese participated in the Eisteddfod, a Welsh festival with ranked competitions in poetry, music and readings. Frank participated by playing the trumpet, singing solos, performing Bible readings and recitations, winning numerous awards throughout the years. Singing was his joy for the rest of his life. He sang in the choir at First Christian Church in Lemoyne, PA where he was a member for 50 plus years. He also sang with the Harrisburg Choral Society, the Cumberland Singers, the West Shore Choral Society, the Grantham Oratorio Society, and the Central PA Oratorio Society. Frank was still singing in the choir at Country Meadows. However, the real love of his life was a young lady, Velma Greenawalt. Frank met Velma going roller skating. He thought Velma was a good skater with some nice legs. She liked to do fancy dance steps so Frank had to learn them too so he could skate with her. He did and they were married on April 25, 1948. Over the next 73 years together, they were blessed to have 3 daughters, Gwendolyn (Pelsis), Tamah (Roby), and Jennifer (Miller); 6 grandchildren – Jonathan Pelsis, Kristin Sheppard, Eric and Adam Brink, Keegan and Emma Miller; 3 great-grandchildren – Henry Pelsis, Olivia and Jackson Sheppard. Frank’s very first job was as a stock boy earning $1 per day. After graduating from Meyers High School in Wilkes-Barre in 1942, Frank had a large variety of jobs and liked to keep busy. His first official retirement was from Ingersoll Rand where he worked as parts manager for 17-1/2 years. In retirement, he continued to work numerous jobs including movie theater ticket taker, rental car pickup driver, and handyman for Drydene Oil Company where he “retired” at the age of 85. Frank was into recycling even before it was a thing. He recycled almost everything; including every lawnmower put out for the trashmen. He was both creative and resourceful. He made marble rollers for several of his grandchildren; reupholstered furniture; got into oil painting; and made many aluminum can airplanes. At First Christian Church in Lemoyne, PA, he served as an elder, choir director for 10 years, and as the property chairman, making many repairs and renovations over the years. Frank was a lifelong member of the Masons belonging to Harrisburg F&AM Lodge 629, Tall Cedars Forrest 43, and Harrisburg Consistory 32 degree Mason. Frank loved to travel and visited almost every state in the U.S., but his favorite was California where he climbed to the top of Sentinel Dome at the age of 80. Another all-time favorite was his trip to Wales where he got to meet some of his relatives and see the house where his Nain and Taid (grandparents) lived. His final journey, at 99 years, 9 months, was Sunday evening August 25, 2024, when he went to be with the Lord. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Shriners Childrens Hospital or Bethesda Mission of Harrisburg. September 6. 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM (ET) Please join us for a luncheon and fellowship at Marzoni’s 4925 Ritter Road Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Frank J. Hughes Jr.

November 21, 1924 - August 25, 2024