Uncle Frank Potenza - Online Memorial Website

I went to the Christmas Eve Mass at St. Patricks, Years and years ago, my first in New York City. I was so excited. When I got there I found out you had to have a ticket. It was snowing and I took my last money to take the train. ...I had no ticket I was crying ....Uncle Frank came up to me and said "whats the mattr?" I told him!  He said" I'm not suppose to do this but come with me!"  He took me around the corner side entrance and had me take a seat inside the cathedral .  I wiped my tears gave him a hug and said "thankyou very ,very much and God BLess you." It was a beautiful mass and if it wasn't for Uncle Frank I would not have been there.

God Bless you Uncle Frank and thankyou for these beautiful memories of you I will cherish forever.

Its hard to imagine that our friendship began only eight years ago because Uncle Frank was the kind of person who made us feel as if we knew him all of our lives.

The first time we met at JKL we bonded over NYC stories about the old neighborhoods and Brooklyn restaurants like Roll and Roaster  I remember thinking what a warm, kind wonderful  person we had just met. We met again at the Teen Choice awards when Frank was on one of his early red carpet assignments. He was nervous because he did not know the names of any of the young stars. Jesse and Sam were in their mid teens so they gave him a crash corse on  the whos who of young hollywood...He was so appreciative (Later on we would come to  realize Uncle Franks  special charm was all he ever needed on the carpet and names were just not his thing, but at the time it seemed important)  We exchanged numbers and our friendship began.As time went on  he named us his other family and that's how he always introduced us...

Living in  Florida and NYC , we would  make it out to LA once a month and when we did we looked forward to spending time with our Uncle Frank,  Frank would always be in our hotel lobby at least an hour earlier than we agreed on meeting,( so we made sure to plan accordingly)   Then we would pile into our rent a car and go . It did not matter if we were trying  a trendy new restaurant, riding the merry go round at the Pier, browsing Fred Segal, going to a comedy club or chilling  at Mels diner, there was always lots of  laughter, love and stories...Frank was so devoted to his family.. and we loved hearing all his stories about his girls....We cherish the time we spent  with our Uncle Frank. 
Uncle Frank,  we  miss you, your generosity,  your love for people, and most of all your love for life.   You will always be in our hearts.. 
 Heaven took you too early for those of us on earth, but we guess they needed an Angel up there.
 All our love,...."Your other family"

It was thanks to our dear friend, Ernie Barbieri, who said I had to meet Uncle Frank in 2004 when I was singing at the San Gennaro Feast.  Whenever I would see Frank, he always made me feel so special and had such a classy and respectful way of flirting and complimenting. How much fun we had at Republic Day last year! How blessed I was to get to see him more in his last days. Last month in rehab, while he was recuping from a fall, while visiting him, I got to sing "That's Amore" for him and he was so excited to introduce me to a new friend of his there, a woman  who was more than 100 years old.  When I went back to sing there again, which was scheduled while expecting Frank to be there,  he had to go back in the hospital, and everyone kept telling me how they couldn't wait for him to come back to rehab because he was so special and made them feel so important. When recently I went with Ernie to visit Uncle Frank at the hospital, while he was patiently waiting for the doctor, I suggested to him that we should pray. Frank extended his hand and we all held hands and prayed.  This is the moment that moves me the most.  Frank loved his family, his friends, and he loved God.  To his daughters, family, and all of us, Uncle Frank, you are our Angel. Pray for us. Thank you for being such a beautiful example of kindness and "amore".
Rest in Peace.

My favorite story of Frank was when he planned a Potenza/Tegano day trip to Death Valley in 1981.  After our picnic we found wonderful sand dunes that the children were playing on, having a blast when Frank called them all down  as we had to go to this quaint old Western town. So off we went but on arrival we found that the Town was no longer and was the definition of Ghost Town! Shops and restaurants all boarded up and Frank was saying 'But it shows it all in this paper' so I just happened to turn up the corner of the paper and said, 'Frank this paper is from 1964'!!!! Bless his heart. The good thing was that there was one old Theatre still standing , so we went to the Show  and had the most hilarious night that we still laugh about to this day!!!!!!
God bless you Frank, you were the most caring person ever and will be missed by so many.You will always be in our hearts. Love Robin.

My dad was sharp. My dad was brave and my dad was love. His biggest thrill was to get to know you. He biggest smile came out of you "knowing him". He looked forward to the updates and talks and always had an encouraging word or two...

When we spoke about his passing he told me, "You will think of me everyday for a year". After a year, you will feel better and think of me less....even then trying to ease my future pain...

I sat across from him with tears in my eyes. "Dad I will miss you so much". He looked at him and said "I know, but you have to move on and be happy". I went to give him a hug and he said "I will help you". With tears in my eyes I said "thanks Dad". It was a tough talk, but dad always said, "Life is tough, it's not all fun and games". When he assured me he would "help" I knew it would be alright.

No one is perfect, but my dad came real close. This year will be tough, but dad says next year will be easier. I love you dad and I know you are right. 

Thanks for always easing the pain. Have fun in heaven and I look forward to learning about all those other "amazing flavors" of ice cream you are now enjoying.

And don't worry "your girls" will be okay..because you're helping us.

Dad, I am with you all the way this year and for infinity.

Love,
Sally

 Uncle Frank,
  I will never forget 2 of the most important people in my life that are now gone ,but  will be with us always,You and my Dad.It seemed liked yesterday when you visited my Dad, Peter in the hospital in NYC and you  asked my Dad...."should I move to L.A. to work on my Jimmy's show" & my Dad replied "GO WEST YOUNG MAN !!!" and he did,he was so much a part of our family and there are too many memories to list,too many photos.One of the things I remember most was his dedication to his girls.So many times after my own Dad was gone he would ask me,"Chris,what will the girls do without me?" How did you handle losing Dad.It was hard the last couple of years.He was so worried how the "girls" would do without him being here.No words I could say would ease his pain on leaving them behind.He was a special man to so many of us.He was a TRUE GIVER and loved so many of us.His kindness extended way past most knew.He supported St. Augustine Priory every year with a generous donation to it's student program.He touched so many lives and brought such joy to all he touched.I love you Frank,and miss you more than words can say.I know you are in heaven with my Dad and Mom and I know you are watching over us.God Bless you Uncle Frank!
With much love,
Chris Danzilo Coletta and her very special husband Vito

Life is a whirl-wind of relationships and experiences. If, in those moments, we are lucky enough to come across an “Uncle Frank” we are all the better for it. The first time I met Frank was several years ago in the green room at JKL.  He jokingly told me to “slow down” (I use a power wheelchair) because he might have to give me a ticket! He laughed (even before I could) and immediately came over to give me a hug, in the (unlikely) event that I would think he was serious. Frank was authentic…something you don’t see that often (if ever) in a green room in Hollywood. When he hugged you, or shook your hand, you felt loved. That was Frank’s special gift. I remember telling him one night at JKL, that my dad was exactly one year and one day older than he was and Frank replied, “I’ll bet your dad’s a great man because he raised a great guy like you!” At that moment I couldn’t help myself; I asked Frank if we could call my dad back in Boston (my dad watches the show and I knew that he’d get a kick out of a call from “Uncle Frank,” not to mention, being from that generation, they are similar characters.) Without batting an eye, Frank was more than eager to oblige. I think they spoke for ten minutes. That was the quintissential Frank that I knew. I will always remember the gentle and loving kindness of a man grateful for all of his blessings. With a smile that could compete with all of the klieg lights in Hollywood, he was a giant that Uncle Frank, and someone I will always remember with the same esteem I have for any family member that I adore. I won’t cry because you’re gone Uncle Frank, I will smile because you were here...lighting up the late night skies for always…

 To the family of Uncle Frank, I am so sorry to hear about Uncle Frank. My heart is filled with sadness. I felt I had a very special friendship with him as I am sure everyone did also. He had so much respect for all he met. I will never forget the time we went to Palm Springs to a Sinatra event. We had such a good time driving down there. It was like old time in a Police car with your partner. He talked about how proud he was of his girls and family as he loved you all very much. Jimmy you did a lot for him and he loved every minute of it and loved you very much as he was so proud of you too. I will always remember him as a kind man with a lot of common secne.
You will be missed my brother in blue but I know your last breath here on earth was your first breath to ever lasting life with our Lord.

Rest in peace my friend as we will see you again.

God Bless you and your family

Your brother in blue
Art Grenci LAPD Ret.

I remember first meeting Uncle Frank at a family gathering shortly after moving to LA several years ago.  I was giddy at the opportunity to offer the late night legend a glass of wine and chat him up a bit. But as I brought the glass to him he sternly explained that he doesn’t touch the devil’s elixir.  So henceforth if ever I knew I was going to see Uncle Frank I'd always come equipped with a bottle of Martinelli's sparkling grape juice.  He loved it! If I had a 40oz of Martinelli’s right now I’d pour some out for my homeboy Uncle Frank. You will be missed!

 One day I was walking in the lobby at Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Uncle Frank and the ripe old age of ove 70 was walking up the stairs.
At the top of the stairs he miss placed his foot and fell.
Well that's what I thought for a brief moment.
In one clean sweep he did what looked like a judo move and sprung up on his feet with an elegance of sorts and flashed me a smile.