Francis John ‘Frank’ Kain
Frank Kain, of Grants Pass, Ore., entered into eternal rest Feb. 12.
He was 94.
Born Nov. 17, 1921 in Newark, he was the only child of John Joseph and Julia Rose Mahon Kain of Kearny. He graduated from St. Cecilia’s High School in 1940, and in 1942, he married the love of his life, Ann Patricia Wallace, of Harrison.
Frank served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was stationed stateside in Pensacola, Fla., where he worked as an aviation metalsmith. After his military service, he settled in Kearny and in 1950, joined the Kearny Police Department.
There he worked in the Accident Investigation Bureau and was a member of the NJ State P.B.A. Local 21.
As the police department’s public school liaison, he was instrumental in the management of the Safety Patrol program which ran in town for many years.
He and his wife Ann were also active in the St. Stephen's parish community.
Having developed an early passion for music, Frank became a talented trombonist during the Big Band Era and went on to play with noted professionals such as Tex Beneke, Johnny Matt, Larry Kaye and Sammy Kaye Jr.
He was also a professional wedding photographer and provided the photography for the marriages of countless Kearny residents and surrounding areas from 1950 to 1987.
In 1977, he moved his family to the Brick Township area and later retired from the Kearny Police Department. Thereafter, he married Nancy Susan Buttelwerth, of Los Angeles, in 1987 and they settled in the area of Grants Pass, Ore.
In his retired years, he enjoyed friends, family, traveling and his passion for woodworking by installing a full-scale workshop in his home.
Frank was a gentle soul, a devoted and loving father and husband and a friend to all. He touched the lives of many people, and he will be dearly missed by all who knew him.
He was predeceased by his parents, his first wife Ann and his son Thomas.
He is survived by his wife Nancy of Grants Pass Ore., his daughter Bernadette Perez (David) of Sahuarita Ariz., his sons Frank Jr. of Leonia, David (Patricia) of Leonardo, Gregory (Sheila) of Richmond, Va., Vincent of Seattle, Wash., John (Robin) of South Brunswick Township and daughters Julie O'Brien (John) of Toms River and Elizabeth Bolen (Frank) of Dagsboro, Del.
He is also survived by 13 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren.
A memorial Mass in Frank's honor will be held at 10:30 a.m. on May 21, at St. Stephen’s Roman Catholic Church in Kearny.
Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington.