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Frank (Chacho) Abril Jr. passed away on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012, at his home in Gold Canyon, Arizona.
Frank was born on Oct. 31, 1926 in Sonora, Arizona to Frank Sr. and Juanita Abril. He graduated from Ray High School in 1945 and then enlisted in the Army. After the end of World War II, he was released and accepted into the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York, graduating in 1951 and ranking 12th in a class of 130.
He married Eliza (Honey) Flores on June 30, 1951 and they made their home in Woodmere Long Island, New York. Frank worked for Cities Service Oil Company transporting crude oil from oil production areas in Alaska and the Middle East to refineries in the United States.
He advanced to Captain and his last 10 years of his career were spent on supertankers. In 1979, Frank was assigned to captain the maiden voyage of the USR Pacific, at 400,000 tons, the largest oil tanker ever built in the American Hemisphere.
After retirement in 1981, Frank and Eliza resided in both Kearny and Gold Canyon to be close to their Sonorense family and friends. Frank is preceded in death by his wife, Eliza, brothers Roy, and Enrique and sisters Daisy Lopez and Pearl Ochoa Chavez. He is survived by 28 nephews and nieces.
His philosophy in life could be described with the phrase, “It is not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.”
Arrangements were entrusted to Queen of Heaven Mortuary.
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