Franklin J. Abes

Franklin Jaffe Abes, 81, passed away in Cincinnati on Wednesday, April 22 after a resilient battle with chronic health conditions. Frank grew up with his parents Harry and Bernice (Jaffe) Abes, brother Edward Abes (Pittsburgh), and sister Karen (Abes) Bergman (Edmond, Oklahoma) in the tight-knit community of Butler, Pa. With the example of his parents’ 65-year marriage, Frank developed his love of family, good humor, and gentle, outgoing nature. As a young man, Frank lived briefly in Pittsburgh, where he famously “sat in the right field bleachers at Forbes Field for a dollar” during the Pirates’ 1960 championship run. He could recite the starting lineup by heart no matter what (Clemente in right, Virdon in center…). Frank made his way a short time later to Akron, Ohio. In true Akron fashion, Frank starred on the B’nai B’rith bowling team. He began work as a salesman with the same company from whose successor he retired more than 40 years later after moving with his family to Canton, Ohio, a community where he was very much at ease. Colleagues at Hallmark Furniture called Frank the best salesman in Stark County, which, surely, he was. In Akron, Frank met and married a young schoolteacher, Tobi Levine. They would have celebrated 54 years of marriage this August. It was impossible not to know how much they loved each other. They quickly became “Frank and Tobi,” a couple devoted to each other without question, one unit, as if that were just the way of the world. They lived the inscription on their Ketubah, “I am for my beloved, and my beloved is for me.” Frank and Tobi raised son Alan Abes (Monica Schneider) and daughter Elisa Abes (Amber Feldman), of Cincinnati. Frank and Tobi created such a warm, loving home, always putting their children first in everything they did. At home, and in their congregation at Shaaray Torah Synagogue, Frank and Tobi modeled the temperament, values, and respect their children learned firsthand, and reveled in every accomplishment and milestone. Although a gentle man, Frank was tough. He survived a serious fall as a boy. He “pounded the highway” from Akron to Canton when his job moved before he did, working six days a week, often for twelve hours on his feet. He and Tobi pressed through more health issues together than they could count. It didn’t matter. Frank was a mensch, and that never changed. Frank’s life was full of simple pleasures, lots of family jokes, kibitzing with friends and neighbors, and sports. For better or worse, he adopted the Indians and Cavs, and loved to fall asleep to a ballgame. He left a legacy of kindness through his children to his four beloved grandchildren, Shoshana, Benjamin, Harrison, and Mitchell, who will carry his example in ways large and small, obvious and subtle. And they will all remember that “practice makes perfect” and “big drops don’t last long.” Private services. Good thoughts are comfort enough, but donations for Frank and his family may be made to the Downs Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati, 4623 Wesley Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45212.

Tributes

Franklin J. Abes

September 12, 1938 - April 22, 2020