Fran Czaplicki

Franny loved life, his family, friends and sports.  He and his wife Kathi met in high school 54 years ago and were married for 49 years.  They are the proud parents of Dane (Katie), Brent (Lauren) and the grandparents of Samantha, Kai and Cassidy.  Franny is also survived by his brother William (Elaine), sister Cass Jakubowski (Steve), many nieces, nephews, and friends.

Fran was born on November 15, 1951 in Woodlyn, PA and attended Ridley Schools, graduating in 1969.  He worked for 35 years for M & M Restaurant Supply.  He and his Family also lived in Ridley Park, Glen Mills and Media.

Franny loved being with his family more than anything.  They spent time together living life as an adventure: going to the beach, riding bikes, traveling, and watching the children and grandchildren in whichever activity they were participating.

He also loved fishing, reading, watching movies and had a great love for all animals.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Providence Animal Center in Media, PA, All 4 Paws Rescue in Malvern, PA or any charity of your choice.

A Celebration of Fran's life will be held at the Lazaretto Ballroom in Essington, PA. Sunday, January 15 from 12-4 pm. Given Fran's love of sports and his desire for this to be a celebration, feel free to wear your favorite jersey (optional). A special prayer and slide show will be presented at 1:00 pm.

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My Pop Fran
(With love, Brent)

My pop loved watching sports- sports of all kinds - Philly sports, college sports, high school, little league, soccer, wrestling, track, lacrosse, golf, and most importantly any event that a member of his family was participating in.  He spent his last night going to see his grandchild Kai wrestle.  When he was a kid he played football, basketball, and baseball.  His kids and grandkids played soccer, wrestled, and played lacrosse and ran track.  He was happy to learn new sports and cheer on whoever was involved-he just loved sports. We loved to sit together and just talk about anything and everything while we watched.  So many times, we ended up standing in the kitchen away from the game talking about something completely unrelated to sports-sports' main purpose truly achieved-having brought people together.

My pop often said, "I would rather be lucky than good."  He once hit five homeruns in a little league game.  When he was a young boy, he traveled to New York City to see the NY Mets in Shea Stadium and to see the World's Fair on the same day.   He saw the Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers Live at Franklin Field in 1960.  In 1976, he bought tickets before the season started to see Dr. J when the Nets were coming to town and the morning of the game Dr. J got traded to the Sixers. He was at the Miracle in the Meadowlands live in 1978.  He saw Jimmy Rollins hit two inside the park homeruns in the same season live, one in Philly and one in San Diego.

My pop built for me a castle of memories.  I have no doubt that when he left this planet his heart was swollen with pride for his family.  I was very lucky to experience his love for 40 years.   My dad was my good friend.  I cannot ask for anymore from him.  I feel he is at peace and he left behind a family that will miss him immeasurably and continue on in celebration of how he approached life.

My pop also loved music.  Dude was just cool, and he knew what music was cool too.  He shared with me-just to name a few- the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Boss, the Allman Brothers Band, Neil Young, Cat Stevens, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sly and the Family Stone, Led Zeppelin, Warren Zevon, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Carole King, J Geils Band, E.LO. and he would always give whatever I was excited about a listen.  He also loved reading and watching movies, a good sports book or a sports movie with a great soundtrack could always suffice if a live event was not on.

I was once told that to truly understand and enjoy sports- and ultimately life- that one must realize that the game doesn't change the players, the players change the game.    This is especially true for the players that never consult the rule book.

In sports there are starters and there are bench players. In life, my father was not a bench player, he was a starter.  I believe he left us abruptly for this reason.  It was his game and his rules and he called his shots.

People loved my pop and rightfully so because I know for a fact that he loved everybody back.