It is with profound sadness, that we announce the passing of our dear Francis Joseph Fierro, age 91, of Newark, Delaware, on March 17, 2023. He passed away peacefully at his home of over 50 years, surrounded by his family. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend.

Francis, or Frank (as referred to by his friends and family), a proud native Delawarean, was born on November 16, 1931, on Lincoln Street in Wilmington, Delaware, which was then referred to as “Little Italy”. He was the middle son of Joseph and Angela, who immigrated to the United States many decades ago from Castel Morrone, Italy. He was predeceased by his parents and oldest brother, John, and is survived by his loving wife, Carolyn, sister, Angela, his three children, Susan of California; Joseph (Kathryn) of Alabama; and Stephen (Wendy) of Florida; and his grandchildren, Mark, Michael, Dominick, and Luke.

He was a proud graduate of Salesianum High School. Upon graduation from high school in 1949, he entered Childs Seminary in Childs, Maryland from 1949 to 1951 with The Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales. Upon leaving the seminary, he enlisted in the Navy where he served for four years. In the Navy he served as a Corpsman during the Korean War on both the USS Bottineau and USS Shenandoah and was honorably discharged in 1951.

In 1959 from the University of Delaware, he earned both a B.A. in History with a minor in Spanish, and then in 1966 went on to earn a Master of Education with a concentration in culture, language and literature of Spain. During this time he also studied abroad in Spain, and attended the Vermont Middlebury College Italian program on scholarship, and the Howard University and Fairfield University NDEA Institutes in Spain. His professor, Dr. John A. Munroe, selected him to conduct interviews with the local Italian immigrant population in order to document their experiences assimilating in the US and their contributions to the local culture. To this day these interviews are maintained online by the University of Delaware in the Robert H. Richards, Jr. Delaware Oral History Collection, and are available to the public globally, and frequently accessed for both genealogical research and educational purposes. And as of late, he contributed the Preface to, Echo, that uses his interviews as the basis for the book.

He had many accomplishments in his life but was most passionate about spending time with his family, and in particular, his grandchildren. As important, he was very proud of his over 30-year tenure as a lauded high school language teacher in the Christina School District, where he helped to positively impact the lives of many of his students, and was beloved by students and peers, alike. In 1962 Frank began his teaching career at Newark High School in Newark, Delaware, teaching Spanish and quickly transferred to nearby Christiana High School where he taught for over 30 years, retiring in 1989. During his tenure as a teacher, he coached the golf team, added Italian the language program to the school’s language offerings, hosted exchange students and exchange program coordinators, sponsored the Spanish and Italian Clubs, and served as the District Chair on Foreign Languages from 1983 to 1989. His daughter fondly remembers how her parents would frequently host his Spanish students at their home for homemade pizza and Spanish empanadas on various weekends.

Frequently he was recognized by students, his fellow teachers, and University of Delaware faculty, for excellence in teaching, and the profound impacts he made on the lives of his students and the quality of the language program. He established the first ever state of Delaware foreign cultural exchange program for American students between the Christina School District and Panama (The Partners of the Americas) and served as its program developer and organizer for fifteen years. Annually students would live with Panamanian families and vice versa. The friendships he established with his Panamanian hosts carried over for decades even after he retired from teaching. As important, he was the first to organize, direct and lead scholastic trips to Spain for groups of high school students for the Christina School District and the State of Delaware. Through his classroom and scholastic international travel experiences, he positively influenced the lives of dozens of students who went on to become nurses, teachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, and clergy members, just to name a few. Remarkably, after decades of being retired he continues to regularly come in contact with former students who fondly remember him, his classroom, and the impact he made on their lives as their teacher. And from time to time, they even visit him at home.

During his teaching career he was nominated to serve on a number of special committees including on the evaluation committee for the Middle Atlantic States in Pennsylvania, as a member of the Advisory Council for the University of Delaware Department of Languages, and as a voting member of the Advisory Council for the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Language.

After retiring from teaching in 1989, he took some well-earned time off and then was selected to open and run the first ever Seamen’s Center for the Port of Wilmington, Delaware, where he served as the Director from 1990 to 1993. During his tenure he made a positive impact on the lives of dozens of seamen who worked grueling jobs on cargo ships away from their families under perilous conditions. The Center offered these men a safe place to rest and relax, and to get the help they needed, including, but not limited to, legal assistance, medical attention, translation assistance, religious support and worship, shopping assistance, recreational activities (TV, pool, games), a phone booth to make calls (before wireless), and even simply to purchase a candy bar. So many lives were positively impacted, and he even made lifelong friends with a couple of the Italian ship captains who frequently docked at the Port.

During and after his tenure at the Seaman’s Center, he volunteered as a Spanish language translator with the City of Newark, Delaware, as an English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor at the University of Delaware English Language Institute (ELI), and as a volunteer Italian language instructor at the Newark, DE Senior Center. He was a very talented woodworker, enjoyed playing his fair share of golf and going fishing, as well as growing some great red chili peppers in his annual garden. He also was an avid reader with a preference for non-fiction works focusing on military history and other history-focused topics and themes.

Francis officially retired in 1993 in order to spend more time with Carolyn, his grandchildren and family, continue to hone his woodworking talents, and to travel the country and world by planes, trains and automobiles.

Frank is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Carolyn F. Fierro; daughter, Susan M. Fierro; sons: Joseph F. Fierro and Stephen F. Fierro; grandchildren: Mark F. Fierro, Michael F. Fierro, Dominick K. Fierro and Luke F. Fierro; and sister, Angela Fierro.

He was preceded in death by his parents: Joseph Francis Fierro and Angelina Maria Clotilda (Cappiello) Fierro, and brother, John Fierro.

The family acknowledges the compassionate and competent care provided by Delaware Hospice and who lovingly cared for him in his last days, and Frank and Carolyn’s amazing neighbors and friends who provided a constant stream of support.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, March 24, 2023 at 11:00AM at Holy Angels Catholic Parish, 82 Possum Park Road, Newark, DE 19711. Family and friends may attend the viewing beginning at 10:00AM. Burial will follow at Cathedral Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to “St. John – Holy Angels Parish” or “Oblates of St. Francis De Sales, Childs, MD” and sent in care of R.T. Foard & Jones, Inc., 122 W. Main Street, Newark, DE 19711.