Robert R. Frankel

Robert Roy Frankel, 83, of West Nyack, NY passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home, surrounded by his loving family on August 3, 2014. Born in Brooklyn, NY on May 7, 1931 to Sydell and Maxwell Frankel, Bob was raised in the Inwood section of Manhattan by his grandmother, Minnie Knaster. His parents' only child, Bob was a lover of all animals and had very close bonds with his childhood friends. As a young adult, Bob enlisted in the Army and fought in the Korean War, earning the distinction of Soldier of the Month. After he left the Army, he joined the NYPD and eventually rose to the rank of Inspector.

While a police officer, he enjoyed a varied career including overseeing security for several presidential details, advising on films and TV shows that featured police work, and most proudly, seven years as a mounted police sergeant in NYC's theatre district. It was during this time that he met his wife-to-be, Diane Coupé, while watching her perform in the Broadway show Mame from the wings of the Wintergarden Theater. Bob took Diane on a horse ride in Central Park the next day and they were married the same year.

Bob and Diane moved to Rockland County in 1970, where Diane founded Coupé Theatre Studio in Nanuet. Bob was a pillar of that business and loved by the generations of dancers that he kept smiling with his famous sense of humor. Bob also shared his wife's passion for performing and was a proud member of many casts at Nyack's Elmwood Playhouse.

Bob is survived by Diane, his wife of 45 years; son James and his wife Alison, daughter Jennifer and her fiancé Bryan Bullock; son Mark and his fiancé Ania Grzesik; and his two grandchildren Abigail and Isabelle.

Bob was loved immensely and will be missed dearly.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to United Hospice of Rockland.

A Visitation for Robert Frankel will be Tuesday 2-4 7-9 and a Service followed by an interment Fred Loecher Veteran Cemetery (New Hempstead, NY) on Wednesday August 6, 2014.