Parsippany mourns BOE veteran Frank Calabria

PARSIPPANY – Frank Calabria, who had served on the township Board of Education since 1973, died Monday after a long battle with mantle cell lymphoma. He was 73.

“The Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education has lost a great friend and leader,” the board stated in a news release. “Calabria was a man of such grace, commitment, diligence, and insights, it was an honor to call him our colleague and our friend. During his tenure he mentored numerous board members about leadership, service to our community and making a difference in the lives of our students.”

“It was an honor and privilege to serve with Dr. Calabria on the Board of Education,” said township Councilman Louis Valori, who served with Calabria from 2008 to 2011. “He was always a mentor to all the board members. He was such a wealth of knowledge. One thing that always I will always remember about Dr. Calabria was that he always wanted to provide the students in our school district the best educational opportunities possible.”

One of the longest-serving members of any New Jersey school board, Calabria served 11 years as board president.

“I served on the Parsippany Board of Education with Frank from 1975 to 1981,” said Michael de Pierro, the elder statesmen on the Township Council. “We had some very emotional and difficult decisions to make in those years … we had a 10-day teacher’s strike, and we closed two elementary schools. Since we all came from different backgrounds, our priorities were different. But even though we disagreed on various issues, we felt that the collective wisdom of the majority was final, and we all supported that decision. Frank would always remind that ‘It’s for the kids,’ which we knew, but we liked to hear him say it anyway.”

“It’s for the kids, that was his mantra,” said his son, David. “And he always was quick with a quote from someone famous. One of his favorites was from Marcus Aurelius, ‘If it is not right, don’t do it. If it is not true, don’t say it.’ Another was from Winston Churchill, ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’ He gave a lot.”

“Calabria has been one of the most respected citizens of Parsippany who lived his life with dignity and left behind a legacy of accomplishments,” Parsippany Mayor James Barberio said. “He was passionate about education and never lost sight of his commitment to children. He was congenial and someone that I respected very much. Parsippany will truly miss him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”

“Calabria was an icon when it comes to education in Parsippany as well as the other towns he worked for,” said Council President Paul Carifi Jr. “You cant say enough about a person who devotes 40 years of their life volunteering for the good of the children in Parsippany. He will be missed, but never forgotten.”

“He was a really kind guy, very unassuming, very generous with his time,” said Parsippany High School Principal Denis Mulrooney. “He just wanted to help others. I also got to know him when his grandchildren went to (Lake Parsippany Elementary School) when I was principal there, so it was nice to see that side of him as well.”

Calabria was born on June 25, 1941, in Newark, where he met his future wife, Angela. After the marriage, they moved to Parsippany, where he became an active member at St. Christopher Roman Catholic Church, serving as Eucharistic minister and teacher.

A strong believer in public education, and with a doctorate in educational administration from Fordham University, Clabria served multiple school districts during his professional career, during which he worked as a teacher, guidance counselor, guidance director, assistant principal and principal.

His honors included receiving the UNICO Parsippany Citizen of the Year award and the Jaycee’s Distinguished Service award (along with his wife), and was among the second class inducted into the Parsippany Hills High School Hall of Fame in 2012.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years; two brothers, Sam and Dom; four children, Maria Manley and husband Mike, Joanne Barkauskas and husband Rich, Suzanne Petersen and husband Jim, and David Calabria and wife Kendra; and 15 grandchildren.

A viewing will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday at Par-Troy Funeral Home, 95 Parsippany Road, Parsippany. Funeral services will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at St. Christopher Roman Catholic Church, 1050 Littleton Road, Parsippany.

The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Dr. Frank A. Calabria Scholarship Fund. Checks should be made payable to the Parsippany Troy Hills Board of Education and mailed to the board, c/o Joni Benos, 292 Parsippany Road, Parsippany, NJ 07054.

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-428-6627; wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com.