Frank G. Voss, 71

POCOMOKE CITY, Md. - Frank G. Voss, of Pocomoke City, died Wednesday evening, March 4, 2009, in Coastal Hospice by the Lake in Salisbury. He was 71. He was born on July 7, 1937, in Harrington, Del., the son of the late Walter Lee Voss Jr. and Alva Gerardi Voss. As a boy in Harrington, Del., he was raised on their family farm with his brother and three sisters. He enjoyed a boyhood rich in rural life and the influence of his mothers large Italian immigrant family instilled in Frank a passion for his Italian heritage. Attracted to the field of electronics at an early age, he worked as an electrician in Harrington until he joined the Army in 1958, and graduated from the U.S. Army Air Defense School in Fort Bliss, Texas. In 1960, he graduated from Army Signal School in Fort Monmouth, N.J. He went to work for RCA in 1961 servicing Air Force radar sites throughout Europe. He left the Army Reserves as a Sergeant-First Class in 1963, and returned home to Delmarva as a group leader at the Tiros Satellite Tracking Station at NASA's Wallops Flight Center. In 1969, he joined NASA as a Civil Servant and assumed responsibility for the Mobile Radar Team and mobile radar systems at Wallops and locations worldwide. He led the Wallops mobile radar team during the establishment of the Poker Flat Research Range near Fairbanks, Alaska, and supported many worldwide rocket launch campaigns. Standing out among the many awards he received for his work at NASA, in 1988 he was awarded NASA's Silver Snoopy award for his professionalism and dedication in providing support that enhanced the safety and success of Space Shuttle missions. He retired in 1998 after more than 29 years of service to NASA. Shortly after returning from Europe he met Carole Peacock, daughter of the late Jack and Darr Peacock of Pocomoke City. After a summer romance, and many fishing trips with his future father-in-law, they married in November 1964 and had two children. In 1977, he moved his family from Stockton to Pocomoke City and began the renovation of their circa 1920 Georgian Federal style house, a project that became a passion for he and his wife for many years. A devout Roman Catholic, he served for years as a member of the Parish Council at the Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Pocomoke City. He was one of the original Special Ministers of the Eucharist at his church. For years, he served to train and lead other Special Ministers and in 2007 was awarded the Diocesan Order of Merit. He was also a charter member and Third Degree Knight in the Fr. Edmund Julien Council of the Knights of Columbus. While living in Stockton, he was active in the Stockton Volunteer Fire Department serving in various positions. He was a life member of the Benevolent & Protective Order of the Elks in Pocomoke, served as the Committee Chairman for Pocomoke's Boy Scout Troop 193 for seven years, and for many years since his retirement has served on the Board of Directors of the Samaritan Shelter in Pocomoke City. He had a passion for fishing throughout his life and shared this love with his family through many surf-fishing trips together to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Since retirement he engaged in the hobbies of collecting and repairing antique pocket watches, as well as enjoying his love of gardening and gourmet cooking with his wife, Carole. Since boyhood he has been highly regarded by friends and family as an industrious and intelligent person who was quietly passionate about his faith, and possessed a selfless dedication to the needs of others. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Carole Peacock Voss; his daughter, Vanessa Voss Hill and her husband Christopher Hill of Salisbury; his son, Douglas G. Voss and his wife Lisa Walker Voss of Pocomoke City; three grandchildren, Sarah Hill, Erik Voss and Adam Voss; his brother Walter L. Voss of Magnolia, Del.; and sisters, Lena Paskey and Debra Redden, both of Harrington, Del. A Requiem Mass was celebrated at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Pocomoke City on Monday, March 9, 2009. Burial followed in Pitts Creek Presbyterian Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to the Samaritan Shelter in Pocomoke City, Coastal Hospice by the Lake in Salisbury, or Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, Pocomoke City. Arrangements are in the care of Holloway Funeral Home, P.A., 103 Linden Avenue, Pocomoke City, MD 21851. Please visit www.hollowayfh.com to express condolences to the family.