Obituary of Frank Ofner

Franz "Frank" Ofner of Hamilton Township, NJ, devoted husband, father, and grandfather, passed into God's care on July 1, 2022, at home. Frank was born on September 9, 1930, in Paraput, Batschka, in former Yugoslavia (now Serbia) to parents Georg and Theresa Ofner. During WWII, his father was reported missing in action. From 1944-1950, Frank, his mother and his grandparents lived in Germany; his mother passed in Germany in 1945. In 1950, at age 20, Frank moved alone to France for a year to work because of the lack of jobs in Germany after the war. In 1951, his great uncle Joe and his great aunt Elisabeth Ofner (whom he had not yet met), already lived many years in America. They invited Frank, by then age 21, to join them to build a better life. Then in Trenton, New Jersey, Frank was hired as a machinist by Schaefer Machine Company. (He had learned the trade in Germany.) After being in the USA for only 6 months, Frank was drafted into the U.S. Army. Because of his machine skills, he was in demand to repair heavy field artillery to serve in the Korean War. After one year there, beginning to speak English, he was promoted to sergeant. At the end of his tour of duty in 1953, Frank returned to civilian life in Trenton, New Jersey. He was re-hired by Schaefer Machine Company, where he remained for the rest of his career, over 40 years. Frank met his sweetheart, Elisabeth "Liesl" Zirkelbach while still in Germany. For several years, they wrote letters to one another across the ocean before she would be permitted a U.S. visa for travel here. In November 1955, Liesl was finally able to arrive, and in December 1955, Frank and Liesl were married in Trenton, where they settled. Frank Ofner was a lifelong member of the German American Society and a Treasurer of the German American Kickers Soccer Club. He was inducted into the German American Club Hall of Fame for his outstanding contributions. Frank is predeceased by his parents, grandparents, his brothers- and sisters-in-law: Otto and Irma Zirkelbach, Joe and Klara Karrais, and Maria Zirkelbach, many friends, and extended family in the U.S. and Germany. Frank is survived by his wife of 66 years, Liesl (also known as Betty), and daughter, Marilyn D. Ofner of Lawrenceville, who will miss him dearly; their son, Frank G. Ofner (Kim) of Yardville, New Jersey; and adult grandchildren, F. Christopher Ofner, Delaware, and Megan Ofner, Florida. Frank is also survived by his brother-in-law, Franz Zirkelbach of Germany, and three generations of nieces and nephews in the Karrais and Zirkelbach families, in the U.S. and Europe. Frank's family, his lifelong friends, Joe and Marie Kuhn, and the families of friends will all miss him. His close neighbors at home were very helpful, and the family thanks them for their care and kindness. The calling hours for family and friends will be on Sunday, July 10, 2022, from 4-6 p.m. at Knott's Colonial Funeral Home, 2946 South Broad St., Hamilton, NJ 08610. The funeral mass will be celebrated on Monday, July 11, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Raphael-Holy Angels Church, 3500 South Broad St., Hamilton, NJ 08610. Graveside ceremony will follow the funeral at Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery, 400 Woolsey St., Hamilton, NJ 08610. Donations may be sent in Frank's memory to the American Heart Association at www.heart.org or to the German American Society in Yardville. Those with special memories of Frank are asked to share them in the online obituary guestbook. Condolences for the family can be left at www.knottscolonialfuneralhome.com.