Frank Giampetro

URBANA – Frank Giampetro's long, busy, and impactful life came to an end on March 7, 2026 at the age of 92. The original man who never met a stranger, Dad was a teacher and leader whose caring and expertise touched generations of students, patients, and colleagues in Champaign and Clark counties and beyond.

Frank was born to John and Alba (Battisti) Giampetro on Oct. 31, 1933. He was raised with his sisters Mary Lou (Arthur Weber) and Tillie (Joe Horvath) in Youngstown, Ohio. His parents wanted a life away from the steel mills for him, and made sure he attended college. He majored in music education first at Youngstown State, then at The Ohio State University, where he was a member of The Best Damn Band in the Land and marched at the Rose Bowl in 1955. He did his student teaching in Urbana, where he met Rosa "Dodie" Lingrell, a senior in the band, and decided his future was with her in her hometown.

After graduation, Dad spent two years in the Army at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he directed the band for the 101st Airborne Division, the Screaming Eagles. Next came two years of teaching at Triad. Dad's oldest Triad students are now 85 years old.

Dad's long tenure at Greenon began in the fall of 1960. In the early years, he taught all the band students from grades 5 through 12. "Mr. G" built an amazing band program and was extremely proud of his students and their accomplishments. Over the past two years when his memory was failing rapidly, he never forgot his time at Greenon and his face lit up as he shared memories from this period of his life. He still loved to be taken on rides through the school district, and could point out where all the old buildings used to be. Dad retired from Greenon in 1986, but retirement is a relative term …

While Dad was teaching, he also ran Alt's Driving School from our home in Urbana. He taught students from Urbana and the surrounding counties, including his own daughters.

After the driving school, Dad began taking classes to become an EMT. A longtime volunteer fire fighter and member of Box 13, Dad wanted to be able to provide real help to the people he rescued and transported to the hospital. This eventually led to becoming a paramedic, and then to training others for EMT and paramedic certification.

He traveled all over the state of Ohio for Premier Health, running certification and staff development credit classes for fire departments, ambulance companies, nursing schools, and hospitals. Dad's presentations included head trauma, pediatric emergencies, and geriatric care. He also worked as the EMS coordinator for Mercy Memorial in Urbana and Mercy Medical in Springfield and was an Advanced Trauma Life Support instructor for Columbus's Nationwide Children's Hospital. Ironically, Dad's former students used what they learned from him to save his life from a traumatic head injury and to care for him his as he developed age-related health issues.

Over the years, Dad has received numerous awards and accolades for the service he provided to others. These include awards for both his educational excellence and for his contributions to the health community. Notably among these are the Tom Long Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association, the 2003 Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Champaign County (Ohio) Chapter of the American Red Cross, and the Greenon Alumni Outstanding Teacher award.

Frank Giampetro was preceded in death by his beloved wife Rosa in 2023 and by his parents, siblings, in-laws, several nieces and nephews, and his best friend, Robert K. Martin.

He is survived by five daughters, seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren and one on the way: Dawn and Greg Butcher, their children Erin and Matthew (Melissa Steward) Butcher, and Erin's sons Liam and Miles Butcher-Lyden; Lin Giampetro and Tom Riley and their son Colin Riley; Andrea Giampetro-Meyer and Barry Meyer and Barry's son Brian; Julia and Kurt Schropp and their children Kristen and Tyler Stieg with Brady and Hope; Kaleigh and Clay Olsen with Elizabeth and Thomas and another baby any day; Kamryn and Reagan Foote with Lucy and Teddy; Mary Anne and Chris Rodgers and their son Alex Rodgers. Also surviving are a sister-in-law, Vicki Lingrell; and several nieces and nephews and their families.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Mercy Health – Urbana Hospital for their love and care for both of our parents through the years, Cherish Hospice, and especially Trustwell at Urbana Place for the caring, kindness, and love they showered on Frank during the last two years.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, March 12 from 4-7 p.m. at VERNON FUNERAL HOME, 235 Miami Street, Urbana, Ohio. A private burial will be held in Oak Dale Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to Box 13, P.O. Box 266, Urbana, Ohio 43078 or to the Greenon High School Band Alumni Association's Frank Giampetro Scholarship Fund c/o the Springfield Foundation, 333 N. Limestone St., Suite 201, Springfield, Ohio.

Services are entrusted to Vernon Funeral Home, Urbana, Ohio.