Obituary of Frank Willard Ness

Frank Willard Ness was born August 9, 1921 in Syracuse, New York to Frank Willard and Charlotte Norton Ness. He passed away peacefully Friday, March 29, 2013 after a short illness. He was 91. The Ness family lived in New York State, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. They settled finally in South Weymouth, Massachusetts where Frank grew up with his younger sister Nancy. He attended the Nevin School and graduated from Weymouth High School. He attended the Bentley School of Accounting and Finance and Wentworth Institute. During World War II Frank was a Navy fighter pilot with Air Group 12 attached to the aircraft carrier USS Randolph in the Pacific. He flew missions in support of ground troops on Iwo Jima and saw action in the first carrier air strikes over Japan in the last stages of the war. His ship sustained kamikaze damage, but returned to action. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. In the Fogg Building, Columbian Square, South Weymouth, Frank’s father established the first of three service stations. Frank worked with his father before and after serving in World War II. Serendipitously he met Marjorie Lundfelt, then a student at Northeastern University, while pumping gas at one of the stations. They were married in 1946 and had two daughters, Andrea and Pamela. In 1956, Frank and Marjorie relocated to a rural section of Duxbury, Massachusetts, raising children and spending their retirement in the home they loved so much. Frank had a life-long love of horses dating back to his boyhood when he spent much of his spare time working in the horse barns at the Weymouth Fairgrounds. After moving to Duxbury, he was able to keep horses of his own and could be seen on horseback with a group of friends riding along old logging roads near his home. Frank was a skilled tool and die-maker and worked for Raytheon and Walworth Company. Upon retirement he and Marjorie spent time visiting their grandchildren and working on their house and gardens. They hosted family gatherings in their backyard and travelled to many of Frank’s Navy Air Group reunions. They never missed a graduation ceremony for their far-flung family. Frank loved his retirement. He was always outside driving his tractor, riding his horse or tending to the maintenance of the 25 acre property. He is preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Marjorie and his sister, Nancy Ness Goodale. He is survived by his daughters Andrea Ness Huber of Paso Robles, CA and Pamela Ness Crowley of Cumberland, ME; grandchildren Melissa Huber of New Haven, CT, Charles Brian Huber of Minneapolis, MN, Sarah Crowley Bernardi of Framingham, MA, Andrew Crowley of Hoboken, NJ; two great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Friends and family are cordially invited to gather at the Ness home on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 1:00PM to join in celebrating and remembering Frank’s life. In lieu of flowers please make donations to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, at www.vfw.org the Salvation Army at www.salvationarmyusa.org, or a charity of your choosing.