Frank Vertucci

Frank A. Vertucci, 49, of Fort Collins, died Sunday morning, July 31, 2005, at the Hospice In-Patient Unit at McKee Medical Center in Loveland surrounded by family and friends. Frank was born in Gloversville, N.Y., on Jan. 22, 1956, to the late Philip C. Vertucci and Virginia Kovarovic Vertucci Fyfe. Frank graduated from Gloversville High School in 1974 and from the State University of New York at Oneonta in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in biology and secondary science education. Frank earned his master's degree in agronomy in 1981 and his Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology in 1988 from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Frank began his career as a research aquatic biologist at the U.S. Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station in Fort Collins. He also worked as a remediation division subject matter expert for ecological issues at EG&G Rocky Flats in Golden. For the past 10 years, Frank was employed as a certified senior ecologist and manager of risk assessment services at ENSR in Fort Collins. Frank also served on and was president of the Larimer County Board of Health. Frank's greatest joy in life was bringing people together - be it for public health issues or gourmet dinners and celebrations in his home. He was an avid fly fisherman and soccer player. Frank was a charter member of the Fort Collins County Cork Men's Soccer Team, and he coached girls recreational and arsenal soccer teams for more than 20 seasons. Frank participated in several health fairs at St. Joseph Catholic School as "Dr. Risky," presenting students with the comparative risks they face and how to mitigate them. Frank will be missed by his daughters, Veronica, of Boulder, and Theresa, of Fort Collins; his mother and stepfather, Virginia and Archie Fyfe, of Gloversville, N.Y.; his sister, Kathleen V. Riccio and nephews, Matthew and Nicholas Riccio, of Glen Ellyn, Ill.; his soulmate, Susanne Murray, of Bellvue; and his countless friends. A funeral mass to celebrate Frank's life will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 300 W. Mountain Ave. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, St. Joseph Catholic School or the Kidney Cancer Research Foundation, in care of Bohlender Funeral Chapel, 121 W. Olive St., Fort Collins, CO 80524.