May 27, 1926 to October 8, 2021

Francis Joseph Lodato died at home on October 8, 2021. He was 95 years old and lived in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1926 to Gennaro and Marietta (Adami), he had six siblings, all of whom had immigrated from Italy. Frank attended Nativity Elementary School, LaSalle Academy, and graduated from St John’s University with Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees. He also earned a Master’s from Fordham University. The youngest in his family, he became the first to attend college. During his teens, he worked at A & L Manufacturing, a company founded by his brothers that remained in his family until 1970.

Dr Lodato taught at Manhattan College from 1968 to 1990. Prior to Manhattan, he also taught at St John’s University, Seton Hall University, and the College of Mount St Vincent. During sabbatical leaves and summer sessions, he taught at Biscayne College (now St Thomas University), Our Lady of the Lake University, and Barry University. At Manhattan, he served as a Professor of Education and was at one time Director of the Evening Division and Summer School. He contributed articles to American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis under editor Milton Erickson. For 28 years, he was a consulting psychologist for the Diocese of Brooklyn at Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception in Douglaston, Queens, and in a similar capacity for the Archdiocese of New York at St John Neumann Residence. In recognition of his service to the Church, Frank was honored to be a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. He also consulted at Lincoln Hall Boys Haven for 10 years and was school psychologist for the Bedford Public Schools in the early 1960s.

Through his training in counseling psychology, “Dr Frank” single-handedly developed an expertise in sports psychology, working with athletes in the NFL, CFL, NBA, NHL and AHL, as well as several Olympians. He worked with the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Montreal Alouettes, Calgary Stampeders, British Columbia Lions, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, New Haven Nighthawks, Orlando Solar Bears, Detroit Vipers, Albany River Rats, and numerous athletes on an individual basis. He was an integral part of 10 championships with professional teams, including Stanley Cup titles with the Devils (1995) and Bruins (2011) as well as three Grey Cups with the Stampeders and two with the Lions. He is part of an elite group of people who earned championships in both the CFL and NHL, and the only one to achieve it in the same year.

He was a curious and thoughtful person, and one of his passions was writing. Frank co-authored two books — Creating Your Christian Engagement and Growing Up Loved, both with John Barry Ryan; But We Were 17 and 0, with his son Raymond; Eboli to Brooklyn, One Way, with his daughter Denise; and an upcoming memoir with his daughter Janice. He was the author of both scholarly articles and frequent columns in The New York Times, Fairfield County Catholic, The Newtown Bee, New Haven Register, and other publications. He hosted a radio show on sports psychology on WLAD entitled “From the Sports Couch.”

He first visited Italy in 1986, when he was 60 years old, and enjoyed connecting with relatives whom he had not known until this time of his life. Their warmth and hospitality provided a source of happiness. He was an avid believer in phone contact as a primary form of communication and would speak to those closest to him daily.

Frank was married to Patricia (Casey) for 64 years and they raised three children — Denise, Raymond (Bronwyn), and Janice (Christopher), and doted on their four grandchildren. They lived in New York, Connecticut, and Florida during their marriage.

Interment took place at St Rose Cemetery, Newtown, Connecticut.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to St Ann Place Homeless Outreach Center, 2107 North Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach FL 33407, stannplace.org/donate-online; or Feeding South Florida, feedingsouthflorida.org.