Francis J. “Frank” Ricciardone, 104, longtime resident of Medford, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on January 24, 2026 holding the hand of his beloved daughter, Margie.
Born in Malden on September 11, 1921, Frank was the son of Italian immigrants Antonio and Pasqualina Ricciardone, who instilled in him from an early age the values of hard work, loyalty, and showing up for family. He carried those lessons with him every day of his long and full life.
As a son to two first generation immigrants, Frank's work ethic started young, delivering ice and coal to neighborhood homes. He later co-founded Sterling Fuel, Inc. with three of his brothers, building a business that installed and maintained oil heating systems throughout eastern Massachusetts for decades. Frank was proud of the work, prouder of the people he worked alongside, and retired in 1984 having built something lasting.
Frank served his country honorably as a volunteer in the United States Navy during World War II. From 1942 through late 1945, he was stationed in the Aleutian Islands and Guam as a member of the Seabees, the Navy’s Construction Battalions (“We Build, We Fight”).
A lifelong tennis player and golfer, Frank loved to compete and could trash talk with the best of them. Still, his true devotion was always to family. He met his wife and best friend, Marguerite, after the war and settled in Medford to begin building their family, and build they did, having six children in all. He lived for gatherings, big or small, and for time spent with the people he loved, including friends who quickly became his family too.
Frank was the proud patriarch of the extended Ricciardone family and one of nine children himself, a role he wore with pride. He is survived by his six adult children, Frank Ricciardone, Jr. of Royal Oak, Maryland; Mike Ricciardone of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; Jim Ricciardone of Westerly, Rhode Island and Ocean Springs, Mississippi; Margie Stone of West Yarmouth, Massachusetts; Dave Ricciardone of Hull, Massachusetts; and Theresa Thayer of Framingham, Massachusetts, along with their spouses. He was known simply as “Pa” to his seventeen grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Marguerite, his daughter-in-law, Lisa Ricciardone, and his son-in-law, David Stone.
Frank deeply valued learning and opportunity. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to his beloved Malden Catholic High School, specifically to the Marguerite C. and Francis J. Ricciardone Scholarship Fund.
Frank leaves behind a legacy of hard work, service, humor, and unwavering devotion to family. He will be missed more than words can say and remembered every time we gather, tell a story, or talk a little trash on the court or the course.
A Mass of Christian Burial celebrating Frank's life will be held in the Immaculate Conception Church, 600 Pleasant Street, Malden on Thursday January 29th at 11:30am. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours will be held at the A. J. Spadafora Funeral Home, 865 Main Street, Malden on Thursday morning from 9:00am-11:00am prior to the Mass.
Interment will be in Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford.