Franklin Delano Ceruti, Jr.

A Celebration of Life is being held in honor of Franklin Delano Ceruti, Jr., who passed away on January 23, 2024. Baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Church with the name John Anthony, Frank or “Frankie” was born at Brooklyn’s Women’s Hospital in Brooklyn, New York on Friday, February 17, 1961. As the first-born boy, he soon became big brother to three little sisters. When his parents divorced, Frankie was then responsible for making sure his little sisters were entertained, fed, and in bed on time. 

Frank had many passions that developed when he was young. He was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and enjoyed building miniature wood cars and camping outdoors. He also acquired a love for high level chess and Dungeon & Dragons. In first grade, he became a skilled musician when he started playing the piano, organ, and took music theory lessons on Saturdays. He briefly played the recorder, ultimately exchanging the recorder for a trumpet. Frank would play the trumpet throughout high school and into college. As a freshman, he was selected to join the Pride of Oklahoma, becoming a member of the University of Oklahoma Marching Band. 

Frank’s love for cars started with a white, sixty-five Chevy, a gift from his stepfather, Jess T. Abram, Jr. Soon after, he acquired a baby blue Ford Torino sports car. He worked on his Torino every day after school, and eventually rebuilt the engine. Frank’s love for worldwide travel developed his senior year in high school when he traveled abroad, with his three little sisters in tow, to visit his USAF active-duty father stationed in Germany. During the visit, he visited several tourist attractions, including the Moulin Rouge Cabaret. As a budding adventurer, he explored the streets of Paris and defined his classic sense of style....he carried his wallet in his hand and he always, always, always had a white handkerchief in his pocket. 

Frank’s first assignment as an air traffic controller was at the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, in California. He fell in love with the state of California and made it his forever home. He was masterful in his position and continually refined his skills, eventually becoming an instructor after his retirement. While he was happy with his various travels, his favorite place of reflection and solitude was on the ski slopes. Snow skiing became a passion and he excelled at it. He was a black diamond skier and was a professional ski instructor during his off-hours. On his list of 60 adventures before age 60, he was able to check off visiting the following places: Big Ben, the Kremlin, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Sistine Chapel, the Pyramids in Egypt, just to name a few. Probably the most memorable adventure for Frankie was partying at the Playboy mansion. Most recently, he visited Japan in December of 2023. 

Franklin D. Ceruti, Jr. is survived by his parents, Franklin Delano Ceruti and Jacqueline Rose Marie (Cober) Ceruti-Abram; his siblings, Monique Ceruti, Kimberly Ceruti Hall, and Tracey (Ceruti) Bennett; his brothers-in-law, Shedrick L. Bennett, Jr. and Anthony Hall; his nieces and nephews, Jessica Bennett, Shedrick L. Bennett, III, Viktoria Hall, Elijah Hall, Mahaylah Ceruti, and his maternal uncles; David H. Cober and F. Andre’ Cober. He also leaves behind many family members and friends who loved and cared for him dearly.