Obituary of Francis Charles Mahoney Jr

Francis “Frank” Charles Mahoney, Jr., was born on January 19, 1933 in Greenport, New York, and peacefully departed this earth on April 28, 2023, in Roseville, California.

He is survived by his daughters, Laurie Lynn Mahoney of Oroville, California, and Kim Mahoney, of Shoreline, Washington, his sister, Maureen Smith, of Fort Myers, Florida, and many other beloved family members. He is preceded in death by his wife, Ellen Mahoney, and his son, Paul Brian Mahoney.

Frank and his sister Maureen grew up in Mattituck, New York, where the family home was just a few blocks from the beach. He spent much of his childhood fishing there off of the Long Island Sound, and always had fond memories of that time.

As a young man he attended Farmingdale State College in New York, focusing on a career path in electronics and sales. Eventually, he obtained work at General Electric, where he met his future wife, Ellen Janet Herkel. He convinced her to marry him, but his work career was briefly cut short when he enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany with his new wife. There they had their first child, before returning to the states.

The family moved often over the following years as Frank pursued promotional opportunities in electronics and sales, living in New York, Maryland, and eventually the Bay Area in California. While in California, Frank became highly successful as Sale Manager for the West Coast for Motorola.

When he retired later in life, he and Ellen first moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, but eventually returned to Lincoln, California, so they could be closer to their daughter Laurie during Ellen’s long illness. After her passing, Frank moved to Eskaton Village, in Roseville, California, a nice retirement community.

Frank always referred to himself as a “self-made man,” told his kids that “money doesn’t grow on trees,” and tried to instill in them the value of hard work for success in life.

But he liked to have fun, too, and enjoyed golf, tennis, billiards, travel, watching sports, jazz, hunting, but especially—fishing! While his wife never took to it, she was a good sport, and all the kids eventually got the fishing bug. The family spent many days fishing on his boat on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland; and entire summers on vacation fishing on the Long Island Sound.

He enjoyed teaching kids how to fish—and always had a tall tale to tell about the one that got away for anyone who would listen.

When Frank was fishing, he seemed most at peace, because it was where he seemed best able to reconnect to his boyhood roots by the sea.

Farewell, Dad, you were loved and will be missed!

There will be no services, but if friends and family wish to, they may donate to a charity of their choice in his name.

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