Frank Elia, age 74, passed away on March 30, 2016 at the Hospice of the Comforter in Altamonte Springs, Florida.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut at St Raphael's hospital, he was the son of Tony and Marie Elia. Frank graduated from New Haven College in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and married Florence Buchner in 1966. He had three children and worked for Digital Equipment Corporation for 23 years where he received multiple awards, from his work as an engineer to his later development in sales. Frank was involved with one of the teams that helped design the first space pack that was used by astronauts for their first journey on the moon.

Frank was also known for his basketball skills throughout school and was an avid sports enthusiast. He took dance lessons after college and in 1980 received a Superior Performance Amateur Swing Hustle award. After his marriage, Frank met Terri Rawleigh who he dated and eventually became lifelong friends with. Frank took upon the role of a father for Terri's daughter and helped her achieve many goals in life as he did with his own three children. Frank will always be known for his extreme generosity and selflessness, as well as his incredible sense of humor and sarcasm.

He is survived by: Paul Elia, oldest son, his wife Kriste and their daughters Reese and Jennifer (Marietta, GA); Jeff Elia, youngest son (Sanford, FL); Ann-Marie Elia, youngest child (Maitland, FL), Angela Cannistraro, adopted daughter (Medway, MA); Pat Elia, younger brother, and his wife Mary (West Haven, CT); Tony Elia, Jr., younest brother, and his wife Lorelei (North Haven, CT); and Terri Rawleigh (life long friend).

The wake will be held on April 3, 2016 from 4-7:00 p.m. at East Haven Memorial, 425 Main St, East Haven, CT 06512. His funeral will be from 12:-1:00 p.m. on April 4, 2016 at St Therese Church, 555 Middletown Ave, North Haven, CT 06473.

Memorial donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at https://www.pancan.org/ which has an A rating from Charity Watch.

Since Frank Elia died so quickly from pancreatic cancer that went undetected, his family and friends would like to give to this worthy cause that will honor him the best.

Please visit Frank's memorial page at easthavenmemorial.com and sign his guest book.