Franklin R. Liebert, former mayor and longtime resident of Garden City, died in Williston Park on Sept. 14, 2009 at the age of 80. He was born in Astoria, Queens, attended Brooklyn Tech High School and graduated from Purdue University with an electrical engineering degree in 1951. After college he worked for Sperry Gyroscope/Rand for over 40 years on aerospace and defense radar systems.
Liebert served as mayor from 1975-1977 after serving as a trustee for the Eastern Property Owners Association 1973-1975 and commissioner of public works. His planning, leadership and engineering skills not only served the Village of Garden City well, but also in many community organizations, activities and projects. He was honored with the Chamber of Commerce’s 22nd “Citizens of the Year” award in 1992 and was also recipient of numerous awards from the Garden City Jaycees, the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection and the Boy Scouts of America. He was an avid sportsman, fisherman, enjoyed tennis at the Garden City Casino and was active with the GCAA, played on many Sperry sports teams and coached basketball at Resurrection Lutheran.
He also helped Nassau County government with service on numerous projects such as the N.C.P.D. communications towers study. In 1991, he chaired the Wyndham Improvements Committee appointed by the village to improve the aesthetics of the Wyndham complex. Liebert and other citizens also worked on the Mulberry Storm Drainage Project to reduce flooding and lower engineering costs.
Frank is survived by his wife Marian of 54 years and they lived on Maple Street for 35 years, where they raised Richard, Jeff, Ken and Ginny Liebert Koster. They have 13 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. His sister Joan E. Smiley lives in Great Falls, MT. In 2005, Marian and Frank returned to Nassau County (from Hendersonville, NC, where they went after his Sperry retirement) to reside in Williston Park, where he still continued his civic service on the Williston Park long-range planning committee in 2006 until ill health prevailed.
Mr. Liebert was reposed at Fairchild and Sons Funeral Home in Garden City followed by a funeral at St. John’s Lutheran Church of Williston Park with interment at Brookville Cemetery. Donations to the Kidney Cancer Association are appreciated.
