09/18/2025
Franklin Z Widder III was born in Columbia, Pennsylvania on March 29, 1931, to Franklin Z Widder Jr and Edith (Hertzog). He died at home of heart disease on August 26, 2025, at the age of 94. He is survived by two children, Franklin of Ephrata (Wife Dody Hart) and Camille Horine of Lancaster (Husband Stan), five grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, one great great grandchild, two nephews and two nieces. He was preceded in death by his wife Gloria (Beck), a sister Jane Harsh, and a daughter, Kozette Rushton.
As a boy, Frankie and his family traveled to Washington DC to see Uncle Clyde play clarinet in a US Marine band. Fascinated by the drummer’s cadences, he instantly fell in love. Clyde said, “Get this kid a drum and some lessons.” The following Christmas morning, a shrill sound of delight woke the Widder household when Frankie saw his first drum set.
“I must have liked it because I played it all the time,” remembered Frankie. His first lessons were in seventh grade from the high school band director. In eighth grade, he joined a swing group entertaining audiences at dances, concerts and picnics. The thrill of performing started a musical career spanning 80 years.
At 14 he joined the American Federation of Musicians. The only other musician to do so at that age was Benny Goodman. Frankie was so young, his dad drove him to his gigs. He also fibbed about his age in hopes of being seen as older when he had his first big breakthrough as the percussionist with a top orchestra directed by Andy Kerner. Through Andy, Frankie found himself fulfilling his childhood dream of hobnobbing with the greats of the jazz swing era: Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Nat King Cole, Buddy Greco, Less Brown, and Bruce “Bubbles” Becker. This association also led to a spot in the backing band on the Steve Allen Show. He also got to rehearse in the penthouse at the legendary Nola Studio when hired as the percussionist for Charlie Barnet’s band. In Philadelphia he performed at the Earle Theatre with Lionel Hampton and was the only white guy in the band, extraordinary for the time. Still at the Earle, he was part of a trio with Sammy Davis Sr and at the time little known, Sammy Davis Jr.
Eager to delve deeper into percussion and jazz drumming, he took weekly lessons in New York City from the famed Henry Adler who also taught Buddy Rich. At his first session he recalls feeling like a bit of a hot shot until Adler told him, “You’re holding your sticks all wrong.” Humbled, he changed his grip.
In his late teens, he was part of a big band radio show sponsored by Armstrong Industries formed around a spry, attractive, Doris Day style singer, Gloria. He recalled she performed a song from the musical South Pacific. When she sang the stanza, “I’m in love, I’m in love with a wonderful guy,” she looked right at him. Eventually they got married.
Together they performed locally and on the east coast night club circuit. They also toured on a bus as members of Bob Aster’s Coca Cola Spotlight Show from Richmond south to Bob’s jazz origins, New Orleans.
Settling into family life with Gloria and now kids, Frankie taught private lessons on the drums, accordion and piano. He freelanced with local band leaders Tiny Wright, Bob Troxell, Stan Selfon and others. To supplement his earnings as a musician, he sold print advertising for local newspapers and shopping guides.
Always eager to entertain an audience, he started his own ensembles with his long-ago high school friends featuring Gloria as the lead singer whom he credits as the main draw. They returned to the night club circuit in the tri-state area and entertained at wedding receptions, bar mitzvahs, and private parties, plus at ballroom and Latin dance clubs.
A big hit for the group was their very own “Vunderful Goot,” a song about a Pennsylvania Dutch couple in their courting days. Frankie and Gloria serenaded each other as Jakey and Becky. The song ended in Jakey suggesting, “Make out the lights, I do yummer, Becky.” They also wrote commercial jingles aired on radio stations WGAL and WSBA.
Unexpectedly the phone rang. It was Charlie Barnet, now a contemporary of Frank Sinatra. Charlie urged Frankie to pack his bags and return to the road with him. He did not.
In the mid 60’s and 70’s, he landed a continuing job at the posh Foodergong Lodge. Gloria, in her long, glittery gowns with a contagious smile, knew how to work the room and built up quite a fan base for the band.
This became the rhythm of his life, doing random gigs here and there and helping to raise his family.
In his nineties after Gloria died, he wanted to “get back out there.” So, he, on his own, booked gigs at retirement homes and performed his themed arrangements solo. He often quipped, “I’m older than most of the residents.” He also played local gigs with his son on the drums, and he was on the keyboard.
One would wonder why he stopped climbing the ladder to fame and wealth. Only one more rung to a likely leap into Rat Pack territory. Both he and his wife knew the temptations and challenges of being on the road. Together, they wrangled. Ultimately, he chose the love of his life, Gloria, and his three children and never looked back. That says a lot about the man.
Frankie had a natural talent for woodworking, a skill passed down through generations. In his garage workshop, he tinkered as “Mr. Fix It.” He fell into a small side business of cutting and finishing lids and dividers that fit into Longaberger baskets and making wood stools and such for craftsman to hand paint and sell at craft shows.
His life-long hobby was assembling balsa wood airplane kits. His favorite plane was the Corsair, an American fighter aircraft. Even in his nineties, his mind and eyesight were sharp and his hand dexterity nimble enough to grasp the delicate complexities of building a 3D plane from pieces. If not “in the manufacturing plant” building airplanes on his kitchen table, he amused himself with crossword puzzles and word search books.
Frankie, Gloria and their little dog, traveled throughout the United States and Canada in a pull-behind camper. In the summers, they camped at the Jersey shore hosting their kids and grandkids. Not a summer went by without one evening reserved to crack a bushel of crabs. The couple had a modest motorboat dubbed “The Frankie Clipper.” Many fishing rods were cast, and at the end of the day, Gloria frequently won the prize for the biggest catch. Perhaps she did.
A graveside celebration will be held on Saturday, October 11 at 10:00 a.m. at the Mt Zion Unted Methodist Church, 106 North 11th Street in Akron. All are invited to share stories and laughter at a luncheon afterwards.
Arrangements by Stradling Funeral Homes, Inc., Akron/Ephrata. Online condolences can be given at stradlingfuneralhome.com.
