Obituary of Franklin E. Greenhalgh

Longtime Amityville resident Franklin Greenhalgh passed away on February 7, 2020. He was 83 years old. He is survived by his wife Irene, his daughters Jane Greenhalgh-Weinkrantz and Susan Greenhalgh, his son-in-law Michael Weinkrantz and his grandson Jacob Weinkrantz. Often described as “larger than life” because of his enthusiasm, intellect and incredible generosity, Frank or Grindle, as his friends called him, will be deeply missed. Frank was born on January 15, 1937. His parents, Franklin and Dorothy Greenhalgh of Cambria Heights, Queens, doted on their mischievous and precocious only child. As a youth, he was a Duncan Yoyo champion, earned his HAM (amateur radio) license and went on to win the New York Metropolitan Area HAM radio contest. Frank was an avid basketball player and the highest scorer for his church team. He attended Brooklyn Technical High School where he discovered his lifelong passion for engineering which he continued as a student at Brooklyn Polytechnic College. After college, Frank joined the US Navy Reserve. He was stationed at Floyd Bennett Field where he taught electrical engineering. He married Irene Popielarski in 1958 and purchased their first home in Laurelton shortly thereafter. Jane and Susan were born in 1963 and 1965 respectively. Frank’s engineering career spanned over 50 years. Prior to forming his own consulting firm, FGL Labs on Broadway in Amityville, in the early 1980s, Frank was Vice President of Engineering for Trio Labs in Plainview and then CEAG, a subsidiary of ABB, in Hauppauge. His distinctions include two patents as well as development of power supplies for military weapons, a power supply for the IBM XT and an original audio speaker design which he dubbed the “Greenhorn.” Frank was also a keynote speaker at the first IEEE (Institute of Electronical and Electronics Engineers) Convention. It was his career that brought him to Amityville. In 1970, he was employed at SBD Power Supply on Dixon Avenue. Charmed by the Bay Village, he and Irene moved their family to Robbins Avenue in 1971. Later, he would create the town’s first website——amityville.com. Although he loved his work, Frank was fiercely dedicated to his family and his hobbies which included playing the guitar and singing, investing in the stock market, photography, ping pong, HAM radio and keeping abreast of and blogging about the latest innovations in technology. He loved his two Maine Coon cats, Chauncy and Cookie. Frank served as the finance chair of the First United Methodist Church for many years as well as leading the Methodist Youth Fellowship. He also volunteered for St. Martin’s Outreach as a driver. Frank enjoyed traveling and visited England, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, India, Italy, Portugal, Barbados, St. Thomas, St. Martin, Costa Rica, Morocco, Canada and Alaska. However, his two favorite places were Lake George, where he would go camping, canoeing and mountain climbing, and Amityville, especially in the summer when he enjoyed clamming and taking his boat to Unqua Corinthian Yacht Club’s heading for cookouts and swimming at West Gilgo Beach. There is no question that he enjoyed his life to the fullest and that there is a hole in the hearts of all who knew him. Visitation will be at Powell Funeral Home on February 14, 2020 from 4-6 p.m. followed by a family-led service from 6 -7 p.m. The Greenhalgh family will be receiving guests at their home after the service on Friday night and from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 15 and Sunday, February 16, 2020. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the North Shore Animal League or the Frank Greenhalgh Memorial Scholarship Award Fund at https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-franklin-greenhalgh-memorial-scholarship-award?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1