Obituary of Francis Edmund "Frank" Izzo

Francis Edmund Izzo (Frank), a longtime resident of Rowayton, passed away at Norwalk Hospital on July 1, 2024 after a brief but courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Frank was born in New Haven, CT to Louis and Phyllis Izzo (Vuolo) on July 9, 1950. He graduated from Fairfield Prep in 1968 and received a B.A. in psychology from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA in 1972. He then enrolled in a master's program in journalism at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. However, finding the advertising world of Madison Avenue more suitable to his talents, he left Temple to join Grey, a renowned Manhattan ad agency. He worked in advertising for more than forty years at various agencies in both New York and Connecticut, holding various positions and titles on the creative side of the business (e.g. creative supervisor, senior copywriter, associate creative director, head writer). His ads for a wide range of products and non-profit organizations appeared in print, on the radio, and on television. In recent years, Frank became a fixture at Lifetime Learners at CT State Community College (formerly Norwalk Community College), where he taught wildly popular courses on advertising, pop culture, and short film. He also took on a leadership role in the organization as the 2nd Vice President of the Board and a member of the curriculum committee.

Frank gave further outlet to his talent and creativity by writing short stories, poetry, screen plays, theater plays, and humor pieces. While some of his projects remained unfinished, several were published, purchased, or produced. Not only a writer and wordsmith, Frank also had musical talent. He played the accordion magnificently, dabbled on the piano, and was even known to pick up a guitar from time to time. He played the electric keyboard with his New Haven-based high school band, Freudian Slip, in the sixties, and returned to the music scene with the Rowayton/Norwalk-based Hat Band in the 1990s.

Frank loved Rowayton, where he lived for more than four decades, and over the years could be seen walking around town, kayaking from Bayley Beach or on the Five Mile River, and taking the dog to the dog park or the Land Trust at Farm Creek.

Frank could talk easily to almost anyone about almost anything. He was a wonderful neighbor, a loyal, generous, and easygoing friend, and a reliable and talented professional. His depth of character, way with words, and terrific sense of humor were apparent in everything he did and to all who knew him. Finally, Frank was a devoted and loving husband to Cheryl, his wife of nearly fifty years, and a one-of-a-kind father to Jesse, his son, and his wife Barbara (Kiviat). He was dearly loved and will be sorely missed.

A graveside ceremony will be held at Rowayton Union Cemetery, Rowayton Ave, Norwalk, CT at 11:00am on Sunday, July 7, 2024. Lawrence Funeral Home in Darien, CT will handle arrangements. The ceremony will be followed by a gathering in Frank's honor at noon at Pinkney Park in Rowayton.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Pancreatic Cancer Research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 633 3rd Ave, 5th Floor New York, NY 10017 (866-815-9501)(email: development@mskcc.org) (website: https://giving.mskcc.org/research-programs/pancreatic-research).