Name: Visitation for Frank C. Calabrese
Start: 2024-11-07T09:30:00.000Z
End: 2024-11-07T11:00:00.000Z
Location: Ryan-Parke Funeral Home

Park Ridge - Frank Carl Calabrese, 96, died on Monday, Nov. 4. He was the founder of FCL Graphics and owner of FCC Stables. Father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and father-in-law. Ryan-Parke Funeral Home, Park Ridge, was in charge of arrangements.

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Published by Journal & Topics from Nov. 20 to Nov. 21, 2024.

Memories and Condolences
for Frank Calabrese

Sponsored by Ryan-Parke Funeral Home - Park Ridge.

16 Entries

Jeffery Leving

August 25, 2025

I am sorry for your loss. My deepest condolences.

Bill Cygan

April 28, 2025

Our condolences to the entire Calabrese Family on the loss of your Father. We have many memories of going to the race track in Chicago and Florida. The best memory was when we were going to Joe´s Stone Crab in Miami and we couldn´t get a table. Sid came back to the car and told Frank. He sent Sid back into the restaurant and 5 minutes later we were seated and enjoying Stone Crab. Your Dad was very generous and knew how to have a good time. I am also grateful to him for giving my brother a career in printing. May he rest in peace!
Bill, Mary, Marisa and William Cygan

Frankie and Jennifer

December 25, 2024

REST IN PEACE DAD

Karen Pierro

November 23, 2024

Frank Calabrese : I am so sorry for the loss of your father I have so many great memories of him if you are still in town give me a call 773 664 4552 would love to catch up

Robert D Dorstewitz

November 22, 2024

Long time Paw Paw Lake neighbors. When our girls, Shannon and Ashley were little Frank supplied them with boxes and boxes of activity books that his company made. Nice memories.

Larry Kengott

November 21, 2024

So sorry to hear about the loss of your father.
Our condolences to Carmen/Jane's, Louis's family & Frank Jr's families.

Larry & Jean Kengott

The Staff of Ryan-Parke Funeral Home

November 20, 2024

Offering our deepest sympathies during this time.

Judith Berkshire Jones

November 8, 2024

I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Frank Calabrese. My condolences go out to his family and friends.
I knew Frank Calabrese from Arlington Park Race Track as I was also involved in the Thoroughbred industry and Arlington Park had been my home track since I was a kid going to the races with my family. I admired Frank´s trainer Wayne Catalano very much so I would always watch and look for the horses that Wayne was training for Mr. Calabrese. I also knew Frank because he lived in Park Ridge which is where I lived for most of my life as I grew up in Park Ridge. When I drove past his beautiful house on the country club golf course one day I just sat there and looked at how absolutely gorgeous and beautifully it was kept and especially how beautiful the grounds and flowers were!
When his beautiful filly Dreaming Of Anna won her Breeder´s Cup race I was so thrilled and happy for him. Frank had also bred an raced "Anna´s" full brother Lewis Michael who became a fabulous racehorse also. I hope that Frank was aware of how amazing the granddaughter of his beautiful Dreaming Of Anna had become ! Thorpedo Anna, the daughter of Dreaming Of Anna`s son, Fast Anna, has now become one of the most amazing and accomplished female Champion race horses to ever run!
Frank, I hope you are smiling down from heaven looking at both your wonderful human family and the family of all the great horses that you have bred, raised and raced !
Riders Up !
Judith Berkshire Jones

Guy Tagliavia

November 8, 2024

So sorry to hear of Frank´s passing. My condolences to Lewis and the rest of the family. Frank and my father both attended Crane Tech, separated by 1 year.

Kristie Sokolowski

November 8, 2024

I was so sad when unexpectedly coming across Frank´s obituary today. Reading it brought back some great memories. When I was 23 years old, I met Frank at FCL while at my very first press check ever. That day he gave me a sweatshirt. It is now 30 years later and not only do I still have it, I still WEAR it! No exaggeration....it spent hundreds of hours with me in the FCL customer lounge during round-the-clock press runs throughout the late-90´s/early2000´s; it was never left behind when bouncing from one agency gig to the next; it survived 10 residential moves across Chicagoland then painted all the new walls with me; it remained whole through 6 consecutive adoptions of puppies who loved to chew before turning gray; stayed strong while wiping up countless spills & messes made by 2 babies turning into toddlers and teens turning into adults; it has lasted longer than 1 marriage; has been my security blanket since laying both of my parents to rest; is always the most comfortable go-to on days when getting up/getting dressed seems impossible; and the sleeves have never failed to fill in for Kleenex when unexpected tears and runny nose start streaming down my face without warning. Through all of that, it has remained intact (somewhat!) and has never failed to remind me of Frank and the golden years spent at FCL. For that, I am thankful. I will keep your family in my prayers, and this prize possession close to my heart (and far, far away from the donation pile). Until we meet again Frank, rest in peace.

Corina Amador

November 7, 2024

He was always a breath of fresh air always cracking jokes always smiling I will miss papa frank after knowing him for 8 years

Gary Higgin

November 7, 2024

Frank Calabrese was to me simply the BEST...thank you Frank and if I make it to heaven...I'll be looking
for you to give you a hug..Gary

Jeffrey Markussen

November 7, 2024

Frank made it possible for my bride Janice to leave her job and raise our children. He told us they should NOT be raise by a babysitter. Grateful to Frank beyond words for this. My condolences to the family, I just learned of this today and I am sad I didn't get to say goodbye to him.

Steve Leving

November 6, 2024

In late 1999 by a quirk of fate my path crossed with that of Frank Calabrese. I was the stakes coordinator at Hawthorne Race Course and Frank had a string there with trainer Wayne Catalano.

Frank, in general, had a curious wisdom and ruminated as to the exact reasons why he would eventually offer me employment.

This dream job was in my wheelhouse and came with a title,...Racing Manager. He offered me the opportunity to guide his racing stable on a handshake while giving me his confidence and trust. And, in return I accepted this assignment with pride, dignity and most of all the loyalty of being his "right hand man".

Occasionally times became tumultuous, but his faith in me always prevailed.
Frank was an ardent competitor. As with all aspects of his life, a job worth doing was not just worth doing well, but worth doing better than anyone had done it before. And, he supplied the tools which enabled every trainer he employed, the ability to boost their lifetime win percentages. Frank gave me a purpose in life unlike any other. And, I relished my "behind the scenes" role.

Frank was often targeted by those down on their luck and was was always sympathetic and in compliance with any reasonable request. At times he would play poker in south Florida at the former Hollywood Kennel Club and when he was bored and felt it time to go, he would gift all his chips to whomever he felt was deserving. Yet, for people that approached him with propositions of business opportunities, Frank could never ever be fooled. He could size up the measure of a man in an instant. He just had a way of knowing.

What he accomplished in the first decade of this century at the now defunct Arlington Park was the stuff dreams are made of. With each passing racing season his output of winners, winning percentage and purse earnings surpassed the performance of the previous season. When his homebred, Dreaming of Anna, won the Eclipse Award as Champion Juvenile Filly of 2006, while at the awards podium, he selflessly publicly credited me. And, this I shall never forget.

Contrary to the description of being bombastic, Frank´s commentary always had a calculated purpose. It was often that people would find it easy to get an audience in order to seek out Frank´s sage advice. His answers to your questions were prophetic, and real world opinions were best heeded.

Frank and my wife Denise interacted with giddiness. They had great fun, and got along famously. Frank Carl Calabrese had a profound effect on my life. And, with all certainty, the lives of a great many others. He will truly be missed.

Steve Leving

Amber Lindsay

November 6, 2024

Frank attached himself to my nephew, Markus very early in Markus' life. One day Markus walked up and said "I don't want to call you Mr. Frank anymore." Most of us around were kind of nervous at this because those close to us knew that Frank had Markus give people certain names at the track (all in good fun). And Frank said "ok buddy what do you want to call me." Markus looked around and to be honest I was scared of what he would say. And then with the innocence of a child said "you're my Uncle Frank." And that stuck for well over 15 years. Even some close to us and Frank called him Uncle Frank. He was an incredibly unique and giving man and horse racing and my family's life was better because "Uncle Frank" was in it. He will be missed greatly and never forgotten.

Al Garcia

November 6, 2024

Frank was always kind to the fans at Arlington. As a young kid growing up at the track , I would always see him in the paddock with with program in hand checking those claimers , lower right on the clubhouse side ..

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