Plan for the Future
Frank P. DeMarco, a resident of Chatham, NJ, passed away peacefully on December 21, 2024, in his home surrounded by his loved ones. Frank was born on April 10, 1927, in Massena, NY to Joseph DeMarco and Josephine Vescio. After graduating from Warren HS in Warren, PA in 1945, he was drafted into the US Army and was eventually stationed in Saint Lucia in the Caribbean where he served until 1947. Upon leaving the military he attended Kiski Prep School in PA for two years. Soon after graduation Frank re-enlisted in the Army and from 1951 to 1956, he worked at the Supreme Headquarters of Allied Powers of Europe (SHAPE), initially under General Eisenhower, located in Rocquencourt, France. This is where he met Colette Bideau, who he married in 1956, and was honorably discharged from the Army soon thereafter.
Frank and Colette then moved to Queens, NY where they lived for the next eight years. He began working for Merrill Lynch in Manhattan and had two daughters, Marie-Colette and Valerie. In 1964 Frank was transferred to the Merrill Lynch Paris branch on the Champs-Elysées as a financial operations manager where he remained for seven years. He and his family returned to the US in 1971 and bought a house in Mountain Lakes, NJ, where he and Colette lived for forty-three years, after which they moved to Chatham. Frank continued working for Merrill Lynch in NYC and retired in 1992.
Known for his sense of humor, Frank enjoyed woodwork, tennis, biking, walking, reading, classical music, entertaining, bird watching and telling jokes. Besides spending time locally with Valerie and her family in NJ, Frank and Colette would travel to their apartment in Paris, France twice yearly, as well as journeying to Provence in the south of the country to visit Marie-Colette and her family. Frank was an ambassador of joy and good spirited. He was a wonderful grandfather and his grandchildren loved him.
Frank was predeceased by Colette, who passed away in December 2019. He is survived by his beloved daughters, Marie-Colette and Valerie, son-in-law Robert, grandchildren Pauline, Kyle, and Melanie, sister Diana Polham, niece Diane DeMarco, and nephews Robbie Polham and David DeMarco.
Visiting hours will be on Saturday, January 11, 2025, from 3 PM to 7 PM at the Wm. A. Bradley and Son Funeral home, 345 Main St, Chatham, NJ. A prayer service will be held at 6:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations in Frank’s name can be made to the Chatham Emergency Squad.
