Francis Walter Michalski

03/29/2005

Francis Walter Michalski, 66, of 9 Lower Linden St. died yesterday morning at home after a long illness. He was the first recipient of a successful heart transplant in the Berkshires and later underwent kidney dialysis for years. Born in Adams on Feb. 7, 1939, son of Joseph T. and Mary Louise Urus Michalski, he was a 1957 graduate of the former Adams High School. He also attended the Boston Barber School and became licensed in 1959. At the time of his death, Mr. Michalski was the proprietor of the Miracle Mile Shop in Pittsfield. He had established Frank's Barber Shop in 1959 on Park Street and later worked at the Men's Den for many years. He was a 20-year member of Company M, 104th Infantry Division of the National Guard. He also was a longtime member of the Elks Lodge 1335 BPOE and the Berkshire Lodge of Masons AM & FM. He was a self-taught carpenter, and an avid bowler. He and his wife, the former Joanne M. McBride, were married Aug. 27, 1960, in St. Thomas' Church. Besides his wife, he leaves a son, Keith Michalski of North Adams; three daughters, Kim M. Michalski of North Adams and KrisA. Frye and Kelly J. Michalski, both of Adams, and five grandchildren. FUNERAL NOTICE -- The funeral for Frank Michalski, who died March 29, 2005, will be Thursday at 9 from MCBRIDE FUNERAL HOME, 6 Liberty St., followed by a Liturgy of Christian Burial celebrating his life at 10 in St. Thomas Aquinas Church, with the Rev. Daniel Boyle as celebrant. Burial will follow in Bellevue Cemetery. The family will receive friends today, March 30, from 4 to 8 at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to the Dialysis Unit of Berkshire Medical Center, Pittsfield, or to the New England Organ Donor Bank at 1 Gateway Center, Suite 202, Newton, MA 02458. He leaves five grandchildren, Nicholas and Troy Michalski, Zachary Baker, Bethany and David Frye. He was predeceased by a brother, Joseph Michalski, and a sister, Dorothy Rathbun.

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