April 20 1938 April 11 2020
Obituary Frank J. Rizzo Jr., age 81, of Ames, passed away peacefully in the company of his family, on April 11, 2020 at Green Hills Retirement Community Health Care Center, in Ames, IA. Due to COVID-19, a memorial service will be held at a later date, an announcement to follow. Frank was born April 20, 1938 to Frank J. Rizzo Sr. and Marie (Scarnavack) Rizzo in Chicago, IL. After graduating from St. Rita’s High School in Chicago in 1956, Frank earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (1960) and a master’s degree in Engineering Mechanics (1962) from the University of Illinois in Champaign, IL. On June 9, 1962, Frank was united in marriage to Mary Louise Davis, of St. Louis, MO, in Champaign, IL. While earning his PhD in Engineering Mechanics at the University of Illinois, in Champaign (1964), Mary gave birth to their two sons, Robert Christopher (b. 1962) and Russell Frank (b. 1964). Frank accepted a faculty position in Engineering Mechanics at the University of Seattle, in Seattle, WA, in 1964. He then went on to become a professor of Engineering Mechanics at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY for 21 years, from 1966 to 1987. Mary gave birth to their daughter, Kristen Marie (b. 1966) in Lexington, KY. In 1987, Frank and Mary moved to Ames, IA, where Frank became chairman of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Iowa State University. Frank retired as a faculty member from Iowa State University in 2000. After retirement, Frank remained active in Ames, teaching ‘College for Seniors,’ for many years. Frank was a lifelong avid fisherman and a great lover of the outdoors, especially in northern MN, where Frank and Mary built a retirement home in 2000, traveling back and forth between Orr, MN and Ames for fifteen years. Frank is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Mary; his children, Robert (Elizabeth) Rizzo of Huntington, NY, Russ (Debra) Rizzo of Woodbury, MN, and Kristen Anguiano of Quincy, IL; and his grandchildren, Marina, Linnea, Lucia, Timothy, and Charlotte. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Marie Rizzo. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Adams Funeral Home and online condolences may be left to Frank’s family at www.adamssoderstrum.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the Iowa State University Foundation or to the Mayo Clinic. To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Frank J. Rizzo Jr. , please visit our Tribute Store. Events Services will be set for a future date to be determined. You can still show your support by planting a tree in memory of Frank J. Rizzo Jr. . Visit the Tribute Store Memorial Contributions Iowa State University Foundation 2505 University Boulevard, Ames, Iowa 50010 515-294-4607 Visit website Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic Visit website
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Frank J Rizzo Jr April 20 1938 April 11 2020.
Death notice for the town of: Ames, state: Iowa