Gary John Franko

Gary John Franko March 30, 1949 - December 29, 2024 After playing the bass riff to the Eric Clapton song “Crossroads” for over 50 years, Gary John Franko reached the proverbial crossroads on Sunday, December 29, 2024, and took the path leading to the mysteries beyond. Gary was 75. His journey started in Cleveland, Ohio on March 30, 1949. At age 19, he joined the U.S. Navy, where he served as an Electrician’s Mate on the U.S.S. Bigelow, taking him from rural Ohio to many exotic ports in the Atlantic and Caribbean. He served until 1970. In 1974, the Franko family relocated from Ohio to Maryland, where he would remain for the rest of his life. A fortunate mix-up at Fairchild Enterprises led Gary to an interview for an engineering position instead of an electrician role, opening the door to a remarkable 30-year career in aerospace. Specializing in Safety and Mission Assurance, with a focus on quality assurance in the space industry, Gary contributed to numerous missions over the years. His work took him to key launch sites like Vandenberg Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral, where he played a vital role in ensuring mission success. One of his proudest accomplishments was leading a team of quality assurance engineers for the Hubble Space Telescope missions. Since its launch on April 24, 1990, the telescope has provided awe-inspiring images that have captivated the world, and Gary was honored to be part of the team that helped make those images possible. On several occasions in the KSC VAB, he was fortunate to take in the view from the commander's seat during various servicing missions. Gary's final major assignment at NASA was working on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) R-series. These satellites, with a legacy dating back to 1975, provide essential weather data and imagery to forecast storms and natural disasters, helping to improve early warning systems and saving lives. Gary is survived by his son Daniel, daughter-in-law Melissa, and grandson Jack, of Mount Airy, Maryland, and by his sister Judith Reese and brother-in-law Norman, of Onondaga, Michigan. He is predeceased by his parents John and Evelyn M. Franko and his wife Debbie Barrie Franko. (Not to be confused with his surviving ex-wife Deborah Pokriots Franko). Gary was a talented artist, often carving wood plates to make ink prints for original Christmas cards, as well as a passionate musician. He loved to tell stories of “jamming” with Joe Walsh, Alan Parsons, and members of Lynyrd Skynyrd at various points in his life. He loved working in the flowerbeds that he built behind his condominium in Frederick, Maryland. Neighbors appreciated the way he “brightened up” the community (even if the community management company was not quite as appreciative). In his retirement, he was active at the Downtown Frederick YMCA, both on the staff and as a member. And in the warmer months, he could frequently be seen in the Schifferstadt Lane and Monocacy Village areas working on his tan during his two-mile “sun soaker” walks. Although he grew up a Browns fan, Gary adopted the Redskins once he landed in Maryland. And though not originally a hockey fan, he was a regular (and often the only) spectator for Dan’s “beer league” and Jack’s D-League hockey games - and eventually became an avid Capitals fan. Gary and Dan had regular text threads during Redskins (or ‘Ders, as he called the Commanders) and Capitals games. Gary enjoyed Alex Ovechkin’s chase of the all-time goal record (he joined Dan and Jack for the game where Ovechkin moved into #2 all-time). He was excited to see the ‘Ders getting back on the right path this year and he loved the way Jayden Daniels kept them in every game. It’s fitting that on the day he passed, Daniels orchestrated an exciting overtime win to clinch a playoff berth and Ovi scored. Although his career kept him at the forefront of technology, he was very analog in his personal life. He loved going inside the bank to handle his financial matters face-to-face with a staff member and seemingly knew all the cashiers and team members at his local grocery store. Gary loved watching the trees outside of his condo go through their annual lifecycle. He shared with family members that he wished to come back as a tree. In keeping with his wishes, Gary’s ashes will be combined with soil for a new tree to be planted on the Reese family farm in Michigan, where his father is also resting. In lieu of flowers, the family appreciates a donation in Gary’s name to Maryland Public Television (mpt.org) or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.