Frank Jamison Eckel, Sr. Age 89 of Crafton Pennsylvania, currently of Savannah, Georgia, died on Sunday, June 15, 2025. He was born on September 21,1935 and was the adopted son of the late Joe Eckel and Pauline Jamison.

He is survived by his companion of many years, Susan Lowrey Flaherty; three children, Mark (Linda)Eckel, Jamie Eckel and Sarah (Terry) Hinton; grandchildren, Patrick (Mary Martin), Jacob, Abigail, Samantha, Jacquline, Justine; great-grandchildren Belle Mae, Luna Rae, Noah Joseph. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his siblings, Jack, Bob and Allen.

He graduated from Crafton High School, Class of 1954. After high school he started work at U.S. Steel in the Open-Hearth furnace. He then attended Muskingum College, Class of 1962, with a B.S. in Geology, and minors in Pre-Law and Sociology. He continued his graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Frank began his long and distinguished career in metallurgy as an Industrial Engineer at Columbia Gas, Bureau of Reclamation, Geology & Metallurgy. He worked with Westinghouse Electric Corporation and Aluminum Company of America and the Westinghouse Air Brake Division of American Standard. He established and was the sole owner of Fe.International which provided expertise based in domestic and international economic development, management and trade of overseas joint ventures and manufacturing agreements. These included agreements and ventures in Nigeria, Pakistan, Oman and the Mellon Institute. Frank combined his experience in finance and government contracts to establish minority companies designed to acquire government contracts with a focus on the Department of Defense. Fe.International was awarded the first Benjamin Franklin grant for product research for vapor corrosion protecting steel for the Department of Defense. In addition, he was a member of the Commemorative Air Force Ghost Squadron.

Frank was always willing to engage in conversations about anything and everything from guns, airplanes, history, wars, music and most of all his love of Crafton and Pittsburgh. He regularly kept in touch with his high school classmates and friends. The many friendships he maintained over the years are a testament to what a good friend he was to so many people.

His community interests included The Elks Club of Pittsburgh, Telfair Museum and Downtown Neighborhood Association of Savannah, the Learning Center and the Savannah Council on World Affairs. Every spring and autumn Frank drove from Savannah to Pittsburgh to work on his house in Crafton where he died.

He was preceded in death by his beloved dog, Sanders.