Frank Ricciardi

Frank Ricciardi, a longtime resident of Sudbury, passed away September 24, 2018. He is survived by his beloved wife of 65 years, Stella Ann (Pagano) Ricciardi, of Wayland; four devoted children and their families, Joseph Ricciardi of Acton, Michael Ricciardi of Andover, Lisa Ricciardi of Rye, NY, and Sharon Peloquin of Sudbury. He was the cherished brother of Emilia Francalangia and Josie Carlozzi, both of New Britain, CT and he was predeceased by his sister, Sofia, a Mother Superior in Rome. Frank was adored by his sisters and they spoke on a weekly basis. Mr. Ricciardi was born on November 25, 1926 in New Britain, CT and spent his early years in Italy. He returned to the US, attended Lebanon Valley College to learn English and later graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. While there, he met the love of his life, Stella, and formed a long distance relationship until their marriage 16 months later. In Frank’s stories about his courtship with Stella, the bus rides to see Stella grew longer in every retelling. He was adored by his mother-in-law, Mary, who took comfort in his strong faith and devotion to family.

Frank’s career took him through many sites and divisions of Raytheon Labs. He loved his work and took great pride in the accomplishments of his teams who build defense industry missiles. He ran the Radar Division and was ultimately responsible for development work on the Patriot Missile. Frank enjoyed the company of engineers and sought out fellow Raytheon colleagues throughout his life.

Anyone who knew Frank knew that his top priorities were his wife, his children, his faith, and work. It was not the words, but the quiet and constant actions that communicated where his priorities lay. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and spent hours helping others and in his later years, he was a regular at food pantry, quietly contributing. He also enjoyed the Senior Center though he would never admit he was one of the “seniors;” Frank was there to help others first. After his colleagues retired, the “lunch bunch,” or four couples, met monthly for years, enjoying card games and laughter. Frank never missed an opportunity to be with his grandchildren; each one of them will recall summers and holidays year after year at his home on Cape Cod. He was a solid man of faith and will be deeply missed.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, September 29 at 11 AM at Our Lady of Fatima Church, 160 Concord Road, Sudbury, followed by interment at New Town Cemetery. Visitation will be held Friday, September 28 from 4-7 PM at the Duckett - J.S. Waterman & Sons Home of Memorial Tribute, 656 Boston Post Road (Route 20), Sudbury.