Frank Madison Corwin Jr.
Frank Madison Corwin Jr. passed away at age 88 at the Riverhead Care Center on April 5, 2013.
Frank, known as “Buzz,” was born Aug. 25, 1924, the only child of Frank M. and Florence B. (Raynor) Corwin. He had a happy and active childhood growing up on the family’s Meadow Brook Duck Farm and in the family’s woodlands and marsh along the tributaries to the Peconic River in Flanders, N.Y. He loved the outdoors and nature and passed that on to his children.
After graduating from Riverhead High School in 1943, he joined the Riverhead Volunteer Fire Department, where he was an enthusiastic and dedicated member of the Reliable Hose and Engine Company for 60 years. Buzz was also a proud member of the Riverhead “Ironmen” Fire Drill Racing team when they won the New York State Championship. After high school he briefly raised and sold turkeys from the Meadow Brook Duck Farm before beginning a long career working in the agricultural supply cooperative GLF, which became Agway a number of years before his retirement.
He was a friendly and unpretentious man, who loved the fire department and his many friends there and elsewhere in Riverhead and the surrounding towns. He shared a lifelong love of animals with his wife and they rescued and raised many.
He married Muriel E. Stein in 1949 and was a selfless and devoted husband to his wife of 64 years. He was a trustworthy, helpful and hardworking man. He perennially worked at second and sometimes third jobs in addition to his full-time job at Agway. He enjoyed working offshore on the M/V “Ways Off,” tending tankers at the Northville oil terminal, and enjoyed visiting and selling World Book Encyclopedias to families in the evenings. His success in that enabled him, his wife and their children to spend a memorable evening with Sir Edmund and Lady Hillary.
Frank always made time to be the model of a loving and kind father to his children, Beverly S. Corwin Reeves (Craig) of Golden, Colo.; Jeffrey T. Corwin (Linda) of Charlottesville, Va.; and Todd M. Corwin (Mimi) of Flanders, N.Y. He loved and enjoyed being with his grandchildren, Gregory C. Askin (Jessica Boux) of Squamish, B.C., Canada; Elisabeth “Betsy” Askin (Grant Sharp) of Chicago, Ill.; Brianne G. Corwin and Kiersten M. Corwin of Flanders; and Patrick B. Corwin of Charlottesville, Va.
Frank felt that success was learning to cope with the adversities in life, and still finding enjoyment in life. He truly succeeded in that.
Visiting hours and services will be held at Reginald H. Tuthill Funeral Home, 406 East Main St., Riverhead, Friday, April 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, April 13, noon to 1 p.m., with services following at 1 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made to the Riverhead Fire Department, 540 Roanoke Ave., Riverhead, NY 11901 or the Flanders Northampton Volunteer Ambulance Co., 641 Flanders Road, Flanders, NY 11901.
This is a paid notice.
