Picture Francis A. Linsalata chilling out with a cup of coffee in San Marco Square in Venice, Italian sun shining on ancient buildings, birds singing, bustling crowds.
"That was his own personal heaven," said his son, Francesco Linsalata.
It was a welcome respite from the pressures and hard labor of being a busy certified public accountant in Philadelphia, a position that he nonetheless thrived on and that he continued to pursue until shortly before his death on Sunday of heart failure. He was 84 and lived in Wayne.
Frank, as he was known to friends and associates, was born in South Philadelphia, the youngest of the nine children of Nicola and Leonarda Linsalata. He graduated from Haverford High School after the family moved to the suburbs, and went on to Villanova University, from which he graduated in 1949.
