Obituary of Francis John Civille
Francis Civille, 84, passed away on August 7, 2024, at his home in Warren, New Jersey.
Frank was born on March 30, 1940, and was raised by his father Carmine and his mother Catherine (née Bartenope) in Brooklyn, New York. They lived with Catherine's extended Catholic Italian family on Pacific Street in Boerum Hill until Frank moved with his parents to Senator Street in Bay Ridge when he was 13. Frank attended high school at Brooklyn Tech and college at Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now the NYU Tandon School of Engineering), graduating in 1961. Frank served his country, achieving the rank of Lieutenant in the US Army and Army reserves in the early 1960s. His service included being stationed in Europe during the building of the Berlin Wall and assisting with integration efforts at the University of Alabama.
Frank earned an MS in Engineering from NYU and an MBA from Seton Hall University. He began his career as a chemical engineer at General Foods, before he embarked on a 35-year career in pharmaceuticals at Ciba-Geigy and Novartis, where he focused on licensing. While at General Foods, he met Gail Vance, and the two were married in 1967. Frank and Gail settled in East Hanover, NJ, where they raised their children Suzanne (born 1969) and Michael (born 1972). As his career flourished, Frank also provided unending support to Gail as she started her own company, Sensory Spectrum, Inc., in their house in 1986. Gail would become a renowned figure in the field of sensory evaluation, thanks in large part to Frank's encouragement, advocacy, and hard work.
Frank took frequent international trips while at Ciba, sparking a passion for world travel that he embraced throughout his life. He eventually stepped foot on every continent on Earth, including Antarctica, where he traveled with Gail in 2019. As much as he loved globetrotting, Frank reserved his deepest affection for Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where he and Gail vacationed every summer starting in 1973. When they bought their own place at Sears Point in Brewster, MA, Frank and Gail finally had a permanent summer home on the Cape, where he relished time with his grandchildren – making pancakes and treating them to donuts and ice cream.
After Frank retired in 2000, he worked as a consultant for the Federal Trade Commission, overseeing mergers in the pharmaceutical industry. He and Gail moved to Oldwick in 2003, and then to Warren, where they lived since 2009. Frank is survived by Gail Vance Civille, his wife of 57 years, his daughter Suzanne Urquhart, his son Michael Civille, his son-in-law Edward Urquhart, his daughter-in-law Hannah Pillemer, his four grandchildren, Catherine, Alison, Clare, and Thomas and his sisters, Anita Grauer and Mary Thomas.
A Funeral Mass will be offered at 11 a.m. on Friday, October 11, 2024, at Blessed Sacrament Church, 1890 Washington Valley Rd, Martinsville, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to the Mott Street Scholarship Program at the University of Mount Saint Vincent (https://mountsaintvincent.edu/support-the-mount/mott-street-scholarship-program/give-online/).
