Francis Stephen McFadden

Francis “Frank” Stephen McFadden, 72, passed away at his home on April 27, 2023. Born in Lakewood, Ohio, he was an identical twin and first born of 13 children to parents Vincent and Florence. He was in the first graduating class at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Louisville, Ohio, and eventually graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Kent State University.

A proud Boilermaker, Frank worked in the metal trades: building nuclear submarines, supervising at LTV, inspecting welds in power plants, and teaching welding and safety skills at the various plants where he worked. He was known to display uncompromising standards for quality of welds and safety.

Frank never met a stranger. He loved to tell stories and make people laugh. He enjoyed sharing his detailed knowledge of topics such as music, politics, marksmanship, history and sports, as well as what he valued most, “God, Family, and Country.”

Frank was a talented musician and played various instruments, including electric bass, acoustic guitar, trumpet, tin whistle and harmonica. He found his focus playing bass as a teenager and proudly performed with bands throughout his life.

Frank’s most recent accomplishment started with his idea to help Veterans by offering a guitar program. His goal was to support Vets by providing free lessons and guitars, and to facilitate a space for Veterans to support each other in this process. By connecting with David Burden at VSC he was able to see this dream to fruition with their “Guitars for Vets” program. This group has grown beyond expectations and hopes to graduate and provide guitars to 40 students by the end of the year.

Frank is survived by his wife Gail of 46 years, his children Jere, Brian, and Jess, his nine siblings and large extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents Vincent and Florence, twin sibling Michael, siblings Dan and Annie, brother-in-law David Simmons, and his much loved dog Duke.

The memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 17, at 12:00 p.m. at Northampton United Methodist Church at 853 W. Bath Rd. in Cuyahoga Falls. Visitation will be at 11:15 a.m. at the church with a reception following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Veterans Service Commission, to the attention of David Burden, 1060 W. Waterloo Rd., Akron 44306 for the “Guitars for Vets” program.

Many thanks to Crossroads Hospice staff for their incredibly supportive and thorough care.