Frank J. Monterisi

Francis John Monterisi

On Saturday, February 4, 2023, Francis John Monterisi, loving partner to Isa, his wife of 49 years, father to their three boys, and the author of entire neighborhoods in Queens, New York, passed away at age eighty-three. A determined and hard worker, Frank graduated from Bayside High School in 1956 and served in the United States Air Force from 1956 to 1960 as a radar technician in New Foundland.  Upon discharge, Frank returned to New York, where he began his career in the construction field, first as a bulldozer operator.  After a few years, he started his first building business with just $600.  He built his business up through sheer will over thirty years, building well over 100 homes in Whitestone, Flushing and Bayside that will remain as monuments to his workmanship, his commitment to quality, and his success as an entrepreneur who built a life for his family with his own two hands.  A true gentleman, Frank would never have described himself as a self-made man, however – he always credited  the loyal network of craftsmen and suppliers that reached throughout Queens, many of whom became close life-long friends.  He was upfront and honest, and he paid his bills the day they came in (sometimes even before they came in), a practice that was a hallmark of his approach to business and to life that was an important life lesson for his boys that echoes with them to this day.  He personified the creed that your word is your bond, and this bedrock commitment to integrity permeated his business dealings and friendships, allowing his career to flourish.  His largest single project, Beechhurst Sound Estates, a development of 21 custom homes on the shores of the Long Island Sound, earned him the Queens Chamber of Commerce award for his impact on the borough. In the mid-1990s, Frank’s career shifted to real estate management with Manor Properties and then health care management with All County Radiology.

As hard as he worked, Frank was equally committed to the challenge and camaraderie that came with a good card game or a friendly wager.  From penny gin games with friends and family to high stakes craps games at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Frank thrilled to the challenge of these contests. Whether he was betting on Tom Brady in Super Bowls or on the washed-out trotters in Yonkers on a cold and rainy night, Frank always relished the chance to get in on the action.  He spent quieter moments at home as a voracious reader of crime and military novels, and he did the crossword every day, while sitting in the backyard of the home he built in Whitestone or on his balcony in Boca Raton.  He loved to watch the local dogs play on the beach.  Above all else, though, he loved nothing more than taking his family out for a great meal (no one can remember him ever letting anyone else ever pay the bill) and sharing laughs over a perfectly cooked steak. 

Frank met the love of his life, Luise (Isa) Hoffmann, at the Charles & Carl Salon in Flushing, where Isa was a stylist. Their romance blossomed quickly over the next few months and they married early in 1974 in New York, NY. Later that year, the first of their 3 sons was born, with the second and third to follow a few years later.  As the boys moved on to college, Frank embraced their college lives with vigor, with numerous trips to visit them for football games and other events big and small.  He enjoyed evening walks along the paths of the Naval Academy and downtown Annapolis more than anything, with numerous visits to the Midshipman Store along the way.  He was an honorary member of 4th Company and achieved the rank of Midshipman 5/c for the number of meals he bought for mids in many a clime and place.  The family Frank and Isa built has been the center of their lives ever since, and Frank’s presence will forever remain a powerful force in the family. Perhaps even more than his industriousness, his work ethic, and his strong sense of honor, Frank will be remembered by those who knew him for his quick-witted humor, his fierce determination, and his generous spirit.  He is survived by his wife, Isa, and their sons Damon, Frank Jr., and James, his brother John and sister-in-law Cheryl, his daughter-in-law Darlan and grandchildren Maddox, Yukon and Isa Rose.  He was preceded in death by his parents John and Madeline, and his sister Esther Jean and brother-in-law Barry.

A visitation service will be held on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a funeral service to follow at the Glick Family Funeral Home in Boca Raton.  To view the live stream of Frank's Funeral Service please click the following link  http://meet.google.com/qei-aptr-upx In lieu of giving flowers, the family asks that those who are able instead make a donation to The Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation http://www.mc-lef.org/memorial-honorary-donation or The Cancer Research Institute http://fundraise.cancerresearch.org/fundraiser/4423327

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