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Pete Specos

Pete Specos, who served so many in our area in so many different capacities, passed away on April 16,2025.

I met Pete Specos in December 2009 while reporting for the Frankford Gazette. At the time, I knew him simply as “the zoning guy” for the Frankford Civic Association. But as I looked back through the archives and found sixteen pages filled with Pete’s name and contributions, I realized just how much more he truly was — not just to our community, but to everyone whose life he touched.

Pete was a pillar of civic life in Frankford. He didn’t just show up — he gave, tirelessly and humbly, day after day. His work with the Frankford Civic Association was only the beginning. He served with heart and conviction through the Philadelphia Police PDAC, Keep the Faith in Frankford, and countless other community efforts that were rarely seen but always felt.

What made Pete truly special was the joy he found in giving. Whether it was preparing spaghetti for Dining with Dignity at St. Mark’s, firing up the big hot dog grill for the Mayfair parade, or transforming his home into a beacon of Christmas spirit with a dazzling light display each December — Pete gave with enthusiasm, energy, and love.

His Christmas lights didn’t just brighten his block — they lit up hearts. That was Pete. If every person gave just a tenth of what Pete gave, the world would be a far better, kinder, and more compassionate place.

Pete Specos was a good man — a generous man — and Frankford will not be the same without him. But we are better for having known him, and his legacy of service and joy will live on in the streets he walked, the lives he touched, and the community he loved.

Rest in peace, Pete. You lit up more than just the sky — you lit up our lives.


A memorial Service for Pete will on Saturday, May 17,2025 at St Marks Church. 4442 Frankford Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19124.The service will start at 11:00 am followed by a pot luck luncheon in the church Hall. The parking lot entrance is on Griscom ST. The Church entrance is on Frankford Ave.

Condolences may be sent to: Helen McCollum, 4287 Orchard St, Philadelphia, PA  19124

 

Bob Smiley

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Thank You Anne T.

Thanks to Anne T. who gave us a nice review on Amazon.com for our book “Frankford Stories”.  It was brief but much appreciated.

I do not check our book page on Amazon very often. Although we have sales every month, it does not amount to a lot and I am just happy that some folks are reading about some of the good things about Frankford.  I was really surprised to see 2 books were purchased in England.  Is that you Tim Wisniewski?

“Frankford Stories” is a collection of stories about Frankford.  We have a nice collection of story tellers who were good enough to take the time to look back and remember.

Our first book was “Frankford Heroes”  and that is about all of the guys from Frankford who gave their lives in service.

Our most recent book was “The heroes of Frankford high School which documents all those who attended Frankford High and died in service.  There were over 200 men and 1 woman.

As you know we retired and moved to Virginia in 2019.  I still miss walking the streets of Frankford and riding the El.  St. Marks, 2nd Baptist, St.  Joachim, Northeast Baptist, the Old Heads Game, Gambrel, Frankford Chargers, the memories call you back.

All the big cities have their problems right now but Philadelphia and Frankford are still home.  Until next time, Peace.

This is a link to our Frankford page on Amazon – Click Here

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Benjamin F. Tucker

Our condolences go out to the Tucker family on the loss of their father, Benjamin F. Tucker.
He was a prominent business man in the community for his entire life and was mentioned in the book “A Short History of Northeast Philadelphia” by Harry Silcox.
State Senator Tartaglione sent this message to the family:
I was very saddened to learn of the passing of your loved one, Mr. Benjamin F. Tucker. His death is a tremendous loss for the entire Frankford community.
As a committee person and poll worker for more than two decades, Mr. Tucker left behind a distinguished legacy of civic engagement and public service. His sustained effort to improve the lives of his neighbors will always be remembered fondly.
It is my distinct honor to pay tribute to Mr. Tucker and to offer my deepest condolences to you at this difficult time. Please know that I will always be available to assist your family in any way I can.
Mr. Tucker passed away in April and the family has planned a Service of Celebration at Northeast Baptist Church for this coming Friday, July 3rd. Details are listed below.
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Thank You For Your Support!

Pat Smiley and I thank you for your support of our Memorial Day fundraiser and efforts to promote his and Richard Johnson’s book, “Frankford Heroes, 2nd Edition”! If you’ve been busy or just didn’t quite get to ordering their book, you can still do so and we will still honor our pledge of 20% of book sales to be split between St. Mark’s Church and the Catholic Daughters’ Matthew 25 Food Cupboard. You will still get the ebook edition, too, for free. This effort will officially end on Friday, June 5. Here’s the link for you to use – https://frankfordgazette.com/books-for-sale/

We have mailed the books to those who ordered and have mailed the donations to St. Mark’s Church and Court St. Francis de Sales #2617 CDA. Every little bit helps!!!

For all of you who have purchased the book since it was available last fall, please check your email as Bob Smiley has emailed you a link to the ebook. Please check your email and let us know if you did not receive one and had purchased a book. We do our utmost to insure our records are accurate but… We hope you enjoy this ebook version, too. If you would like to share your comments about the book and allow us to use them as testimonials, please email gil@frankfordgazette.com

We would appreciate hearing what you think of the book!! Thank you again for your purchase and we look forward to sharing more publications with you that pique your interest. Stay well!

 

 

 

 

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Our “Frankford Heroes, 2nd Edition” Honor Roll!

This Memorial Day, May 25, 2020, we wanted to let the “Frankford Heroes” tell you their stories themselves. It’s true that Bob put their stories into the 2nd Edition of his and Richard Johnson’s book, but he is simply retelling the stories of the lives they lived and the sacrifices they have made so that they are always remembered!

At the end of this post, there is a a list of all those who are featured in this latest edition of “Frankford Heroes, 2nd Edition”. And here are some of their stories. Remember, through Tuesday evening, May 26, if you purchase a copy of Bob and Richard’s book ($14.95) through our website, we will donate 20% of the list price to be shared between St. Mark’s Church in Frankford and the CDA Court St. Francis De Sales #2617 Matthew 25 Food Cupboard at St. Mark’s. Also, by buying this print edition, we will give you the ebook free. The ebook has additional information and links and has just been finished. Nothing is ever as easy as it may seem. (So, if you bought the book previously, we will be emailing you the pdf asap. Thank you for your patience.) We accept PayPal, Credit or Debit Cards or you can mail us a check. You’ll find all the details at this link:    https://frankfordgazette.com/books-for-sale/

“Frankford Heroes, 2nd Edition” contains the stories of almost 190 Veterans from Frankford. Frankford was a small town before it incorporated with Philadelphia and patriotism and a sense of history continue to be a large part of our traditions. 147 of these stories are those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and for our freedom. The rest of the stories are those who served proudly and most, if not all, still call Frankford their home. To all our Veterans, past and present, thank you! We thank also, all the men and women of our Armed Forces currently serving so proudly and in unexpected ways. Many have been a real support to areas of the country struggling with coronavirus. We salute you and ask God to bless you abundantly!!

I chose a story from Bob’s book that I wanted to share with you. The first is about a young man named Stephen Blanchett. “Stephen Paul Blanchett was born on October 20, 1947 and lived on Foulkrod Street in Frankford.  He enlisted in the Army early in 1965 and served as a corpsman. He was awarded the Silver Star posthumously: ‘He distinguished himself by exceptional valor while serving as Medical Specialist for his unit when it came under heavy small arms fire in rice paddies northwest of Dong Tam, Vietnam, on March 7, 1967. As the unit was maneuvering slowly through several rice paddies, they came under enemy sniper fire. Immediately, one of the unit’s leaders was hit and severely wounded. Private Blanchett, 350 meters to the rear, was notified, and began racing through the paddies in order to reach the wounded man. When he had come to within 50 meters of the casualty, he was urged by fellow comrades to go no further, due to the increasing amount of hostile fire. He courageously disregarded the warning and with fire all about him, ran to the side of the wounded man. He then pulled the wounded man behind the safety of a dike separating two paddies and administered vitally needed first aid. This courageous act was one of many times he unhesitatingly risked his life in behalf of his fellow soldiers.’” Paul was 19 years old – 19!!! There have been so many just like him – good men of valor, courage and a strong sense of duty and caring for their fellow man!

“Frankford Heroes, 2nd Edition” – Let’s take a look and see if you are familiar with any of the names! These are our honored Veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives for our freedoms during the following wars! There are two pages of names and there are two arrows at the bottom of the document to let you move between the pages. Remember our special offer ends Tuesday evening, May 26 at 11:59 PM!

FH Alphabetical LIsting