Frank Habbas

Frank Habbas passed away on June 30, 2024 at the age of 91. Frank was born on July 29, 1932 in Astoria, New York, to the late Mitre Habbas and Kathleen Himes of Syrian and Irish-German descent respectively.
In midtown Manhattan, Frank attended the original School of Industrial Arts, (now The High School of Art & Design.) After serving as a Military Police Officer in Okinawa during the Korean War, he enrolled in The Cartoonist & Illustrators School (now, School of Visual Arts,) where he originally planned to become a comic book artist. Soon, Frank was accepted to Cooper Union, where he ultimately finished his art education. During this time, Frank was offered a position with the NY Herald Tribune as a "lightener" - adjusting the lighting on the ads before they went to print. He adapted his work schedule there to attend his art classes at the same time.
Frank continued to work on the staff of the NY Herald Tribune as a promotion and editorial artist and after nine years he established a full service agency/studio on New York's east side. A wide variety of clients soon gave this small agency national exposure. Clients included the Ford Foundation, Simon & Schuster, BBDO, and a variety of advertising agencies.
Frank married Ginny Morency, a nurse at New York Hospital, in 1972. They had a daughter named Amy and two years later they moved to bucolic Washington, CT in 1978. The Nutmeg State welcomed Frank with several local clients for his studio and the fresh air and sunshine for his young family. A kind and generous man, Frank was beloved by the community. He shared his artistic talents freely - painting murals and commemorative portraits for friends, family and the local Montessori school where Ginny worked as a teacher. It was only recently within six months of his passing that Frank decided to exhibit his paintings for the very first time with successful shows at Five Points Gallery in Torrington and The Hen's Nest in Washington.
Frank was a beloved husband and a doting father who will be missed dearly. He always said that he was blessed and the luckiest guy on earth. Frank leaves behind his wife of 52 years, Ginny, his daughter Amy and his son-in-law Lucas. He is predeceased by his older sister Mary.
A funeral mass will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Washington on Saturday, July 13th at 2:00pm, followed by a burial at Judea Cemetery and a reception at Bryan Memorial Town Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Five Points Arts at www.fivepointsarts.org.