Francis 'Frank' G. McKenzie

January 13, 1940 - April 26, 2017

Francis “Frank” G. McKenzie of Farmington Hills, Michigan, passed away Wednesday, April 26, 2017, at the age of 77.

Frank was preceded in death by his parents, John and Rose McKenzie, who separately immigrated in the 1920s from Ireland to the United States, where they met, married and settled in the Philadelphia suburb of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.

Frank is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Jean McFarland McKenzie. They were married in their hometown of Drexel Hill on November 13, 1965. He also is lovingly remembered by his five children, Maureen (Rick) Cashman of Cincinnati, Ohio; Mark (El) McKenzie of Cincinnati, Ohio; JoAnne (Brian) Temple of Canton, Michigan; Ellen McKenzie of Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Brian McKenzie of Denver, Colorado; as well as his seven grandchildren, Caitlin and Justin Cashman; Sam and Jack McKenzie; and Ashley, Katie and Matthew Temple. He also is survived by three siblings: the Rev. John McKenzie, OSA, of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania; Leo McKenzie of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey; and Patricia Donohue of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.

Frank was born in Philadelphia on January 13, 1940. He graduated from Monsignor Bonner High School, and went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Villanova University, as well as a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan and his juris doctorate from Temple University. He and his young family moved from Pennsylvania to Connecticut to Wisconsin before settling in Michigan, where he began his career as an intellectual patent attorney for Ford Motor Company. Upon retirement, Frank began work at the firm of MacMillan, Sobanski & Todd LLC in Livonia, Michigan.

Frank traded in the running and bicycling of his younger years for reading and listening to radio programs in his retirement. He also continued to follow his beloved Villanova Wildcats as best he could from his family room in Michigan.

Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, May 1, 2017, at St. Fabian Catholic Church in Farmington Hills. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Catholic Relief Services or the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

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