1966

scmintern@scu.edu

Dominick Francis “Frank” Crane M.S. ’66 was born the third child and only son of Dominick and Mary (Quinn) Crane. His parents were Irish immigrants and instilled in him a tremendous amount of pride in his Irish heritage. He was raised in and around Newark, New Jersey, and had fond memories of his Holland Street chums. Frank earned an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering (1954) from NJIT and a master’s in mechanical engineering (1956) from NYU. In 1956, he was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force and married Eileen McCann. He and Eileen met while square dancing at the Hilltop Barn in 1952 and celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary in May 2017. His stint in the Air Force had the newlyweds living in Tripoli, Libya, while he worked on the airbase there supporting the U.S. mission in South Korea. In 1962, Frank took a job with NASA at Ames Research Center in Mountain View and moved his growing family to Santa Clara. At NASA, he diligently worked on flight simulations and Gemini/Apollo and Space Shuttle missions while earning a master’s degree in mathematics from SCU. Frank loved California! He loved the weather, he loved the ocean, and he loved Lake Tahoe. The family enjoyed many winter trips to Tahoe and summer vacations to the coast. Frank skied well in to his 70s and ran or walked most days of his life. His children remember him coaching their little league and soccer teams, reading to them in the evenings, tutoring them in math, leading weekend excursions to local parks, and working on home and vehicle projects. His grandchildren remember that he was never too busy to sit down and play with them and that he gave them great advice. They have fond memories of sharing the Time/Life book series by his side. Frank passed away on Dec. 21, 2017, and is dearly missed by his wife, Eileen, and his children, Kathleen, Colleen, Kevin (Jenine), Anne, Brian (Heather), and Terence. He generously shared his love and unending patience with his grandchildren, Sean (Amanda) and Bridget Campbell, Patrick (Emy and son Oscar), Katie (Ryan) and Diana Crane, Brendan, Megan and Kevin Crane, and Annalisa Cruz.

08 Nov 2018