LifeStory

Franklin Perlmutter

Obituary

Franklin Lewis Perlmutter of Sherborn, Massachusetts, unexpectedly passed away of heart failure at his home on Friday, June 3, 2016.

He was born November 4, 1958, in Newark, New Jersey, to Harriet Krichman Perlmutter and the late Milton Perlmutter.

He grew up in Short Hills, New Jersey, and attended the Pingry School. While in high school, he was president of the Congregation B’nai Jeshurun Temple Youth Group and the Jersey Federation of Temple Youth.

Frank graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in Psychology. He also studied organizational behavior and management at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

In 1982, he moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where he met his beloved wife and life partner Elizabeth Ann Robins of Rhinelander, Wisconsin. The two married in 1983 and moved to the Boston area where Frank and friend Geoff Palmer co-founded Information Marketing Businesses, one of the nation’s first enterprise workforce management companies.

At IMB, he served as president for 15 years until SimplexGrinnell acquired the business. He was a vice-president at SimplexGrinnell in the time recorder division for several years, playing an instrumental role in the company’s eventual sale to Tyco Corporation.

In 2002 he founded Pondview Capital, LLC, a boutique investment banking firm specializing in merger and acquisition services for both established and emerging companies.

With his wife Liz, Frank dedicated himself to the Dover-Sherborn School District from which the couple’s children Michael, Andrew, and Julia graduated. Frank served as the president of the Sports Boosters for many years, striving to improve the school’s deteriorating stadium. His fundraising efforts and expertise provided the school with a turf field, stadium lighting and a solid polyurethane track. He also worked with the school district to purchase additional land for practice fields adjacent to the high school. The road connecting the properties is officially called   “Perlmutter Pass” in his honor.  Frank established the Dover-Sherborn Triathlon, now in its 12th year, hosting thousands of participants across the Commonwealth. He mentored several athletic directors and coaches throughout his tenure, contributing to an increasingly competitive sports program and several state championships across multiple men’s and women’s sports.

Frank enjoyed his daily walks with his golden retriever in the Rocky Narrow Reservation.  He loved Martha’s Vineyard and specifically the island of Chappaquiddick, where his family vacationed for many summers. Building and fixing anything around the house and a variety of outdoor projects were constant preoccupations for Frank.

Frank was preceded in death by his father Milton Perlmutter and his father-in-law Robert R. Robins.

Frank is survived by his wife Liz and their children Michael, Andrew, and Julia; his mother Harriet; his sister Genesia Kamen (Steven); brother David (Sara Kaplan); his mother-in-law Luann Robins; brother-in-law Rod Robins (Adie); and sister-in-law Jessica Southworth Bates (Alan Bates); and eleven nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held at George F. Doherty & Son’s Funeral Home, 477 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA, on Tuesday, June 7, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The funeral service will be at Dover-Sherborn High School Mudge Auditorium, 9 Junction Street, Dover, MA, on Wednesday, June 8, at 3:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested contributions be sent to Boston Children’s Hospital in memory of Franklin Perlmutter. Friends and family are invited to share their recollections of Frank on the Lifeposts page set up in his memory: http://bit.ly/FrankPerlmutter




EULOGIES


Eulogy by Julia Perlmutter, Frank's youngest child. She is a rising senior at Colby College in Maine


Okay, let’s give this a shot. 


Bear with me, as this is probably going to be as scattered as my brain has been over the past 5 days. But I’m going to start by talking about my mom and dad. As many of you know, my mom is a Native Wisconsinite. My dad met my mom when he moved out to Wisconsin to help a family friend with business in the Cheese State. Though my dad wasn’t particularly artistic, his ability to get my mom to go out with him shows how truly creative he was. First step, he somehow found out my mom’s address, (I promise it wasn’t creepy, but, as we have mentioned, he was always ahead of the times technologically) and he rode by her house one or two… or 10.. times just to make sure that she didn’t have a boyfriend. Step two - he acquired the means to find out my mom’s birthday, October 18th, and told her that he would get a group of friends to go out to dinner at TGI Friday’s just to celebrate, nothing big at all. Hesitantly, my mom agreed, I mean who doesn’t like a birthday party? To my mom’s surprise, when she showed up, it was just my dad sitting at the table. And from there, my parents romance, lifelong partnership, and teamwork began. They were a team like no other team you have ever seen. Immediately, this team had an obstacle to overcome. My dad was raised Jewish and my mom was raised Christian. Even though mixed marriages were much more unheard of 33 years ago than they are today, they did not let this obstacle stop them from marrying and having our family. They both respected one another’s religion, and each did not try to convince the other to convert. Instead, they raised us based on the Ten commandments. They taught us to believe in God, and most importantly, to be a good person. This belief system is a true testament of who my dad was, who my mom is, and who my brothers and I strive to be.

Okay, so, believe it or not, growing up in a house with two very very kind strong older brothers, I occasionally got a bit upset about various things like when Michael and Andrew didn’t include me in their activities with the Dauria boys. Or because Michael told me that Barnie was stupid, I shouldn’t play with dolls, or we were only allowed to watch ESPN and not Disney channel. But no matter how upset I was about anything, my dad always somehow had the perfect way to make everything okay again. But it’s not just me who he was magically able to console in just ten seconds time. He helped my friends and cousins get over their fear of dogs simply by opening up my dogs’ mouths, putting his head (I KID YOU NOT) INSIDE my dogs’ mouths while shouting “Hello??” just to show the kid that our dog was harmless. He did absolutely everything and anything to make people feel comfortable, and could get anyone to smile at their worst moment.

My dad’s sense of humor is one of his best qualities and something that I have adopted from him, even though it has gotten me in some trouble from time to time. Just a few weeks ago, he was reading Yogi Berra quotes to my mom and me, and he truly just couldn’t get over them. After politely asking Siri, “List Yogi Berra quotes,” he read them off to my mom and me while laughing hysterically at each and every one of them:


1) You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six


2) You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.


3) And his favorite, always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours. 


(Trust me, he is laughing at that last one right now). After laughing at these for 45 minutes, he said to me “Julia, you know, these are really funny.” 


When I received this news on Friday, my initial reaction was of course shock and heartbreak. I didn’t know how I could possibly go on and find the strength to get up each and every morning. But his voice gives me strength, and is what has gotten me out of bed every day for the past 5 mornings. When I heard they were going to have a moment of silence at the field on Friday, I didn’t think I would be able to make it there. Though Elizabeth brought me to the high school in her car, his voice is what drove me there. Every time that there has been a problem or I have started to break down and feel weak, I can hear him tell me what to do. This is why we called him Franky Fix it. Even though he isn’t here physically, he is still fixing everything.


If there is one thing that I can take from my dad’s approach on life, it is that he took the positives from the most negative situations. And so that is exactly what we all have to do. I am so fortunate to have had my dad even for as long as I did. Even though his life was cut so unfairly short, I think that my brothers and I spent more time with him than most people spend with their fathers in an entire lifetime. The song lyric, “Remember life and then your life becomes a better one,” summarizes this perfectly. My dad was nothing but life.  


Dad - you were my go-to person, mentor, teacher, coach, errand buddy, walking buddy, card partner, my best friend, and so much more. Thank you, Dad, for teaching me to believe in myself. Thank you for teaching me how to make labels for all of your folders when I was only 7 years old. Thank you for coming to every single one of my games no matter how busy you were. Thank you for teaching me, direct quote from you, “How to be smart about being stupid.” Thank you for getting up before dawn and playing Gin with me for countless hours every day last Christmas break when I was severely jet lagged. Thank you for showing me what good music truly is. Thank you for being a Red Sox fan even though you are from New Jersey. The list goes on and if I truly wanted to thank you for everything, I would be here forever, but as you know, my dad always wanted things to be efficient. 


I’m sure that you have already planted a hundred tomatoes in heaven. Just don’t forget to talk to the tomatoes, Dad, because as you taught me, if you don’t talk to your tomatoes, then they won’t grow. I know that you are with your dad and mom’s dad, and all of your other ascendants. And I’m sure you are cooking for them right now, while showing off your golden retriever socks that you have on. All with a giant grin on your face. You had a heart bigger than anyone in the world, and nothing will ever come close to replacing your spot in my heart. You were going to be the best grandpa in the world, dad, but your grandkids are going to feel like they know you, just the same way I feel like I knew Grandpa Milton. You were my rock. Our family’s rock. But as you can see from the turnout last night and right now, you were everyone’s rock. I’m going to visit you at Pine Hill all the time, and update you on everything that’s happening in my life, our family’s life, and in the world. I will live to make you proud. And one day, I’ll see you again and we will talk and laugh about it all. I will miss you each and every day and I love you forever, Daddy.



Eulogy by Andrew Perlmutter, Frank's middle child. Andrew is a graduate of Wesleyan University and now works for the Audax Group, a private equity company based in Boston.


My Dad

My Grandpa Milton died when my dad was in college and unfortunately I never had the chance to meet him. From a young age, my extended family told me how wonderful and well regarded he was, so I was always very curious and constantly asked my dad about him. It was apparent that he was smart and very accomplished, but over the years, through my dad’s favorite lessons and stories from his father, I felt like I really got to know my grandpa Milton.

•If you stub your toe, it’s best to pinch yourself on the arm so you think about something else; that was our way of saying “everything is going to be okay”

•Whenever you are leaving Temple or are in any other big crowd, you need to practice being a good running back and “keep your feet moving”

•It is very important to treat all people the way you want to be treated, regardless of their race, religious views, or other differences

It was through these lessons and stories that I began to develop a sense for how my father became the person he was. Of course, my dad emphasized a lot more serious morals and lessons to our family, but he knew how to keep our attention and had a special way of raising us with his light hearted and humorous pragmatism. 

In terms of humor, my dad was full with entertaining lines to accompany day-to-day tasks and I hope these examples can portray his general enthusiasm 

•Every night my mom and dad cooked dinner, we were joined by “Franco Perlini”, my dad’s Italian alter ego. “Franco” quickly learned to cook more than Italian food and was soon in the kitchen with my mom every night. 

•My dad never stopped talking about how much he loved GroupOn. When he found a great deal for a restaurant right next to my apartment in Charlestown, he bought $300 worth of credits because he thought this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Shortly after we bought the Groupons, we learned the deal was going to expire in the near future, and I ended up eating dinner at Paulo’s for two weeks straight.

•Then there was our dock right on Farm Pond that my dad would always have to re-anchor every spring. Since the water is so cold in April, my dad always wore his giant dark green waders and made us take a picture of him every year, as he begrudgingly walked into the cold water screeching in a high pitch voice, “I’m freezing my n#ts off!!”. He thought it was so funny. 

So, I hope it is apparent that the most defining characteristic of my dad was his enthusiasm for life, and sharing good times with others. Whenever we had 4th of July parties at our house, I remember my parents going back and forth about how many people we could actually manage to invite from a logistical standpoint. We always set out to invite 100 people at first, but as the 4th approached, my parents befriended other parents in town or decided they should invite friends who lived farther away. By the day of the party,my mom had an invitee list 4 pages long with at least 350 people on it. It was always way too packed at the party, but my Dad loved it. 

Over the past few days, I’ve learned so much about my father from people he influenced and this has deepened my understanding of how generous, inclusive, and considerate he was.

•He was one of the oldest of his group of 9 first cousins and always made an effort to ensure his younger cousins got to have a turn with all of the family’s go-carts and other toys; throughout his whole life he loved to share his happiness with others

•He treated everyone he worked with in business well and respectfully; 30 of his former employees came to thank our family in his visitation line yesterday to tell us how grateful they were that my dad gave them their first job 

•In the past, my dad had reached out to some of my friends who had lost their father or mother and told them he was always there for them (and of course he was too humble to tell any of us this)

All of these examples are just small examples of why I know I was so fortunate to have been raised by my dad. We are all SO sad that he has left us, but I am also SO happy that he was here. I hope we can pass on my dad’s life the same way my grandfather’s was passed onto me. I’ll never go on another day without him and I hope that those who never met him will be able to get to know my dad through our memories of him and his influence on all of our lives.


Eulogy by Michael Perlmutter, Frank's oldest son. Michael attended Tufts University and is now finishing up his math PHD at Purdue University and will be teaching at UNC Chapel Hill. Michael also offered a few minutes of wonderful extemporaneous remarks. But here is the text:


I would like to thank everyone who has come here today to honor my father, and I would like to thank everyone who came to the visitation yesterday evening. I was truly overwhelmed my the number of people, some who had not seen my father in years, who came yesterday to stand in line for hours for a chance to briefly tell my family what my dad meant to them. I can count neither the number of people who told me to reach out to them without hesitation nor of the people who told me how they got through a similar loss. I feel truly blessed that so many people care so deeply about my father, and I would like all of you to take solace the fact that he did not suffer long. My mother is not yet ready to speak in front of a crowd, but she would like me to mention how much everyone's support has meant to her. 


On a lighter note, I would like to take this moment to correct a popular misconception. Yesterday at the funeral, several people said to me “look how black his hair was when he was younger.” If he were here today, he would explain to you that his hair was not gray. When I was in second grade, I was dressed as Batman for Halloween, and my father took me trick-or-treating dressed as the gray-haired butler Alfred. My dad died his hair for the costume and the die, just never came out.. … but in all honesty, my dad told me that and I somehow believed it for many years.

Many of you, who are not from Dover or Sherborn, may be curious about why we are holding this event in a high school auditorium. Over the last ten-plus years of his life, my dad's passion was working as a member of the Dover-Sherborn Boosters. He held numerous leadership positions including an unprecedented three terms as President. I guess that's only fitting for a man named Franklin.

During his involvement, the boosters accomplished many things that improved the life of the children in the community. When I entered the high school in the fall of 2002, we were the only school in our league who couldn't have Friday night football games... or any night time athletic events for that matter, because there were no lights on the field behind this building. We could not have home track meets because the track did not meet the standards of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletics Association. We now have lights and a new track; and we have a new turf field which my dad instrumental in helping install. When I was in high school, he was responsible to the creation of the DS Boosters Triathlon, an event which continues to be held every fall, where participants start by swimming across the local pond, bike towards this high school, and finish the run with lap around the track.


I should also mention that his involvement in the boosters was preceded by the active involvement of both of my parents in the Dover Sherborn Education Fund. The fact that he and my mom dedicated so much of their time to the betterment of me, my siblings, and our peers underscores how lucky we have been to have them as parents, mentors, and friends. 


My father was frequently the first person I would turn to for advice. He was a natural leader, a master of logistics, and always one to keep things in perspective. As many of you may know, he lost his father when he was a little younger than I am, and there have been countless times these past several days, where I've wished that I could have asked him for advice. My extended family and numerous family friends have been doing a wonderful job of providing comfort and helping with the planning. And on that note, I would like to conclude by thanking everyone who has offered their support this past week, and to paraphrase one of my father and my favorite artists in saying that nothing can ease this pain, but the past several days it truly has been love that has seen us through.




Eulogy by David Perlmutter and Genesia Perlmutter Kamen


David:  Franklin Louis Perlmutter was born on November 4th, 1958, in Newark, NJ. He lived his first few years there, joined by Genesia in 1960 and me in 1962. Frank’s first word was lawnmower, which was prescient, as riding lawnmowers, tractors and snowplows became lifelong passions of Frank’s. We were close in age, and always companionable, with the normal quotient of sibling rivalry. Our parents, Harriet and Milton Perlmutter, built an incredible mid-century modern house in Short Hills, which we moved to in 1963.

Genesia:  Everyday we walked through the woods to get to Hartshorn Elementary School. It was uphill both ways, through five feet of snow, even in the summer. Then we ran home for lunch so that we could watch The Munsters, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeanie on our black and white TV while we ate. Frank started at Millburn Junior High School, but our parents weren’t happy with it. They wanted Frank to go to The Pingry School, but he didn’t want to leave his friends. However, Frank really wanted a mini bike like the other boys in the neighborhood. This led to Frank’s first successful major negotiation, the purchase of a Honda 70 mini bike in return for his acquiescence to switching to Pingry.

David:  During his high school years, Frank developed into an incredible leader. He became the president of the B’nai Jeshurun Temple Youth Group and later president of the statewide Jersey Federation of Temple Youth. It was in this environment that his leadership style took root, flourishing in later years at IMB. So many of you have told us that you worked with Frank on a committee, how he loved to get people involved, and how much he contributed to the community. One friend wrote: “I never heard him say a negative word about any of us, and we lived up to that mark of acceptance --- following his example.” Frank saw the good in people and always made them feel good about themselves.

Genesis:  Upon graduation from Pingry in 1976, Frank was a male pioneer at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, spending his junior year at the MIT Sloan School of Business. After graduating from Vassar, Frank went to work for an advertising agency, but quickly realized he was not cut out to be a Mad Man.

During the summer of 1982, while David and I were traveling in France, we met with our long time family friend Jean Hass, with whose family we had a unique international exchange. Jean was the head of a French supermarket company and a great friend of our father’s. When he heard Frank was looking for a job, he said (with heavy French accent) “Why does he not go work for me at my new Cub store in Madison, WI?” We thought it was a great idea and so did Frank. Within a few weeks, he moved to Madison WI to work at Cub Foods. At the store, there was a beautiful blue-eyed young woman working as a front-end manager. Jean’s son, Philippe, who was also working at the store, bet Frank that he couldn’t get a date with her. In October, I went to visit Frank in Madison. Liz and Frank had just been dating for two weeks but he told me, “If this keeps going the way it’s going, I can see marrying her.” They were engaged by Thanksgiving, and were married seven months later on June 18, 1983 in Liz’s hometown of Rhinelander, WI.

Frank was the coolest big brother. He was so popular, and we always wanted to hang around him and his friends. He had positions of authority and everyone looked up to him. On top of that, Frank was extra cool because he was in a band. Whether it was planning for a JFTY conclave or band practice, our basement was headquarters central and was always filled with Frank’s friends. In college, he continued to be a popular leader and the life of the party. As one friend told us, “he always walked the campus with a crowd.”

When I went to college, I asked my big brother for advice. I have tried to live by this advice and I share it with you today. Frank told me, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

David:  Growing up, our father gave us chores and projects to do. It could be as simple as raking leaves to something much more complicated like building a dock on our pond in Pennsylvania. When Frank and I worked on something, he was the master craftsman and I was the assistant. One day, holding the shovel for the thousandth time while he swept the dirt, I threw down the shovel and said “it’s your turn to hold the shovel.” Frank paused for a moment and picked up the shovel and handed me the broom. Frank loved to be the leader, but there was no job that was beneath him. Anyone who worked with Frank on the Boosters knows that he was equally happy to be raising money as he was flipping burgers in the snack shack.

Many of our best childhood family times took place at our family’s country house in Bucks County, PA. We had a tiny 200-year-old stone farmhouse where we gathered with our aunts, uncles and cousins, especially during winter vacation. All the boys slept in the 3rd floor loft. We had to climb a ladder to get there, and Frank was the organizer of the “third floorie stories”. Our Grandma Bella never left the kitchen area, preparing meals for 16, along with our mother and aunts. At the Pennsylvania house, Frank continued his love for lawn mowers and tractors. We had a caretaker named Les Bodder who every few years would cut back the hedges and Frank always loved saying that the hedges should be cut back so they would be less bodder. All of the cousins are here today along with their children. We are all still so close and part of the reason is that Frank started a private group for us on FaceBook called Bella’s Boys and Girls where we share memories from our childhood.  

Genesia: Since the news of Frank’s death began to spread on Friday, we’ve heard from many of his high school and college friends. What we heard about Frank’s heart, inclusiveness and leadership is consistent with the outpouring of love we’ve heard from the Sherborn community.

One friend wrote “I moved to Short Hills in the middle of the school year in 8th grade. I was so nervous on my first day. I walked into class. The teacher introduced me and sat me next to Frank. He was my first friend. He immediately made me feel at home and then introduced me to his friends and the rest is a beautiful history of our friendship during those years.” I’m sure many of you have a similar story about how Frank made you feel welcome.

David: We were fortunate to enjoy numerous family vacations when we were growing up. We went to Bermuda, where our parents honeymooned, Israel, France, Switzerland, and Austria. Our travels continued after college with many ski weekends, visits to Martha’s Vineyard, and above all, our trip to Italy in the summer of 1982. That was the year Frank’s Italian alter ego, Franco Perlini, was born. Franco loved driving the twisting mountain roads and hurtling down the Autostrada at great speed. There were four of us in a small Italian car, stopping overnight in cities and hillside towns, and only Franco Perlini was allowed to sandwich our four suitcases into the tiny trunk. Expert packing was a skill that Frank carried forward into numerous family vacations with Liz and the kids. Franco Perlini also showed up at the Perlmutter home in Sherborn anytime Frank thought it necessary to refer to himself in the third person, especially when he was cooking delicious Italian meals.

One of our most memorable recent trips was to Puerto Rico to celebrate Mom’s 80th birthday where all 16 of us were attendance.

Frank was the first of us to get married and have children. He and Liz were model parents to Michael, Andrew and Julia. We are so grateful to Liz and Frank for all they taught us about parenting. We’re so proud of you, Michael, Andrew and Julia, and know that we will always be there for you.

Genesia: Even though the three of us were busy over the last two decades raising our families, we treasured the times we got to spend together. During the past few years we were fortunate to spend even more time together. Three recent highlights are cousin Otto’s 2014 wedding in Durango, Colorado where hordes of us descended for an amazing weekend in the mountains, a lecture in memory of our father at our synagogue in March, and most recently a wonderful Passover celebration at my house in South Orange. We are so grateful that we had these times together, and we have the photographs on Facebook to prove it. Thank goodness for social media! Frank, we love you and will miss you forever and you will always be in our hearts.

David:  Even though I'm the younger brother, I’d like to have the last word, Genesia. Lawnmower!



Franklin Lewis Perlmutter
Memorial
  • born

    Nov 4, 1958
    Newark, New Jersey

  • family

    Liz Perlmutter, Spouse / Partner
    Michael Perlmutter, Child
    Andrew Perlmutter, Child
    Julia Perlmutter, Child
    Harriet Perlmutter, Parent
    Milton Perlmutter (d.), Parent

  • died

    Jun 3, 2016
    Sherborn, Massachusetts

Marie Gravesande
So very sorry for the loss of Mr. Perlmutter a fine man. From time to time, all of us need encouragement, and how we appreciate those who lovingly offer it! Comforting implies taking time to listen, understand, and help. I pray that you find that with your ‘family and friends’ as well as the promises of Jesus at Luke 23:43 where he said: “Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in Paradise.” (A hope and comfort for all)
David Perlmutter
Eulogy by Julia Perlmutter, Frank's youngest child. She is rising senior at Colby College in Maine.

Okay, let’s give this a shot.
Bear with me, as this is probably going to be as scattered as my brain has been over the past 5 days. But I’m going to start by talking about my mom and dad. As many of you know, my mom is a Native Wisconsinite. My dad met my mom when he moved out to Wisconsin to help a family friend with business in the Cheese State. Though my dad wasn’t particularly artistic, his ability to get my mom to go out with him shows how truly creative he was. First step, he somehow found out my mom’s address, (I promise it wasn’t creepy, but, as we have mentioned, he was always ahead of the times technologically) and he rode by her house one or two… or 10.. times just to make sure that she didn’t have a boyfriend. Step two - he acquired the means to find out my mom’s birthday, October 18th, and told her that he would get a group of friends to go out to dinner at TGI Friday’s just to celebrate, nothing big at all. Hesitantly, my mom agreed, I mean who doesn’t like a birthday party? To my mom’s surprise, when she showed up, it was just my dad sitting at the table. And from there, my parents romance, lifelong partnership, and teamwork began. They were a team like no other team you have ever seen. Immediately, this team had an obstacle to overcome. My dad was raised Jewish and my mom was raised Christian. Even though mixed marriages were much more unheard of 33 years ago than they are today, they did not let this obstacle stop them from marrying and having our family. They both respected one another’s religion, and each did not try to convince the other to convert. Instead, they raised us based on the Ten commandments. They taught us to believe in God, and most importantly, to be a good person. This belief system is a true testament of who my dad was, who my mom is, and who my brothers and I strive to be.

Okay, so, believe it or not, growing up in a house with two very very kind strong older brothers, I occasionally got a bit upset about various things like when Michael and Andrew didn’t include me in their activities with the Dauria boys. Or because Michael told me that Barnie was stupid, I shouldn’t play with dolls, or we were only allowed to watch ESPN and not Disney channel. But no matter how upset I was about anything, my dad always somehow had the perfect way to make everything okay again. But it’s not just me who he was magically able to console in just ten seconds time. He helped my friends and cousins get over their fear of dogs simply by opening up my dogs’ mouths, putting his head (I KID YOU NOT) INSIDE my dogs’ mouths while shouting “Hello??” just to show the kid that our dog was harmless. He did absolutely everything and anything to make people feel comfortable, and could get anyone to smile at their worst moment.

My dad’s sense of humor is one of his best qualities and something that I have adopted from him, even though it has gotten me in some trouble from time to time. Just a few weeks ago, he was reading Yogi Berra quotes to my mom and me, and he truly just couldn’t get over them. After politely asking Siri, “List Yogi Berra quotes,” he read them off to my mom and me while laughing hysterically at each and every one of them:
1) You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six
2) You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.
3) And his favorite, always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.
(Trust me, he is laughing at that last one right now). After laughing at these for 45 minutes, he said to me “Julia, you know, these are really funny.”
When I received this news on Friday, my initial reaction was of course shock and heartbreak. I didn’t know how I could possibly go on and find the strength to get up each and every morning. But his voice gives me strength, and is what has gotten me out of bed every day for the past 5 mornings. When I heard they were going to have a moment of silence at the field on Friday, I didn’t think I would be able to make it there. Though Elizabeth brought me to the high school in her car, his voice is what drove me there. Every time that there has been a problem or I have started to break down and feel weak, I can hear him tell me what to do. This is why we called him Franky Fix it. Even though he isn’t here physically, he is still fixing everything.
If there is one thing that I can take from my dad’s approach on life, it is that he took the positives from the most negative situations. And so that is exactly what we all have to do. I am so fortunate to have had my dad even for as long as I did. Even though his life was cut so unfairly short, I think that my brothers and I spent more time with him than most people spend with their fathers in an entire lifetime. The song lyric, “Remember life and then your life becomes a better one,” summarizes this perfectly. My dad was nothing but life.
Dad - you were my go-to person, mentor, teacher, coach, errand buddy, walking buddy, card partner, my best friend, and so much more. Thank you, Dad, for teaching me to believe in myself. Thank you for teaching me how to make labels for all of your folders when I was only 7 years old. Thank you for coming to every single one of my games no matter how busy you were. Thank you for teaching me, direct quote from you, “How to be smart about being stupid.” Thank you for getting up before dawn and playing Gin with me for countless hours every day last Christmas break when I was severely jet lagged. Thank you for showing me what good music truly is. Thank you for being a Red Sox fan even though you are from New Jersey. The list goes on and if I truly wanted to thank you for everything, I would be here forever, but as you know, my dad always wanted things to be efficient.
I’m sure that you have already planted a hundred tomatoes in heaven. Just don’t forget to talk to the tomatoes, Dad, because as you taught me, if you don’t talk to your tomatoes, then they won’t grow. I know that you are with your dad and mom’s dad, and all of your other ascendants. And I’m sure you are cooking for them right now, while showing off your golden retriever socks that you have on. All with a giant grin on your face. You had a heart bigger than anyone in the world, and nothing will ever come close to replacing your spot in my heart. You were going to be the best grandpa in the world, dad, but your grandkids are going to feel like they know you, just the same way I feel like I knew Grandpa Milton. You were my rock. Our family’s rock. But as you can see from the turnout last night and right now, you were everyone’s rock. I’m going to visit you at Pine Hill all the time, and update you on everything that’s happening in my life, our family’s life, and in the world. I will live to make you proud. And one day, I’ll see you again and we will talk and laugh about it all. I will miss you each and every day and I love you forever, Daddy.
David Perlmutter
Eulogy by Andrew Perlmutter, Frank's middle child. Andrew is a graduate of Wesleyan University and now works for the Audax Group, a private equity company based in Boston.

My Dad
My Grandpa Milton died when my dad was in college and unfortunately I never had the chance to meet him. From a young age, my extended family told me how wonderful and well regarded he was, so I was always very curious and constantly asked my dad about him. It was apparent that he was smart and very accomplished, but over the years, through my dad’s favorite lessons and stories from his father, I felt like I really got to know my grandpa Milton.
• If you stub your toe, it’s best to pinch yourself on the arm so you think about something else; that was our way of saying “everything is going to be okay”
• Whenever you are leaving Temple or are in any other big crowd, you need to practice being a good running back and “keep your feet moving”
• It is very important to treat all people the way you want to be treated, regardless of their race, religious views, or other differences
It was through these lessons and stories that I began to develop a sense for how my father became the person he was. Of course, my dad emphasized a lot more serious morals and lessons to our family, but he knew how to keep our attention and had a special way of raising us with his light hearted and humorous pragmatism.
In terms of humor, my dad was full with entertaining lines to accompany day-to-day tasks and I hope these examples can portray his general enthusiasm
• Every night my mom and dad cooked dinner, we were joined by “Franco Perlini”, my dad’s Italian alter ego. “Franco” quickly learned to cook more than Italian food and was soon in the kitchen with my mom every night.
• My dad never stopped talking about how much he loved GroupOn. When he found a great deal for a restaurant right next to my apartment in Charlestown, he bought $300 worth of credits because he thought this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Shortly after we bought the Groupons, we learned the deal was going to expire in the near future, and I ended up eating dinner at Paulo’s for two weeks straight.
• Then there was our dock right on Farm Pond that my dad would always have to re-anchor every spring. Since the water is so cold in April, my dad always wore his giant dark green waders and made us take a picture of him every year, as he begrudgingly walked into the cold water screeching in a high pitch voice, “I’m freezing my n#ts off!!”. He thought it was so funny.
So, I hope it is apparent that the most defining characteristic of my dad was his enthusiasm for life, and sharing good times with others. Whenever we had 4th of July parties at our house, I remember my parents going back and forth about how many people we could actually manage to invite from a logistical standpoint. We always set out to invite 100 people at first, but as the 4th approached, my parents befriended other parents in town or decided they should invite friends who lived farther away. By the day of the party,my mom had an invitee list 4 pages long with at least 350 people on it. It was always way too packed at the party, but my Dad loved it.
Over the past few days, I’ve learned so much about my father from people he influenced and this has deepened my understanding of how generous, inclusive, and considerate he was.
• He was one of the oldest of his group of 9 first cousins and always made an effort to ensure his younger cousins got to have a turn with all of the family’s go-carts and other toys; throughout his whole life he loved to share his happiness with others
• He treated everyone he worked with in business well and respectfully; 30 of his former employees came to thank our family in his visitation line yesterday to tell us how grateful they were that my dad gave them their first job
• In the past, my dad had reached out to some of my friends who had lost their father or mother and told them he was always there for them (and of course he was too humble to tell any of us this)
All of these examples are just small examples of why I know I was so fortunate to have been raised by my dad. We are all SO sad that he has left us, but I am also SO happy that he was here. I hope we can pass on my dad’s life the same way my grandfather’s was passed onto me. I’ll never go on another day without him and I hope that those who never met him will be able to get to know my dad through our memories of him and his influence on all of our lives.
David Perlmutter
Eulogy by Michael Perlmutter, Frank's oldest son. Michael attended Tufts University and is now finishing up his math PHD at Purdue University and will be teaching at UNC Chapel Hill. Michael also offered a few minutes of wonderful extemporaneous remarks. But here is the text:

I would like to thank everyone who has come here today to honor my father, and I would like to thank everyone who came to the visitation yesterday evening. I was truly overwhelmed my the number of people, some who had not seen my father in years, who came yesterday to stand in line for hours for a chance to briefly tell my family what my dad meant to them. I can count neither the number of people who told me to reach out to them without hesitation nor of the people who told me how they got through a similar loss. I feel truly blessed that so many people care so deeply about my father, and I would like all of you to take solace the fact that he did not suffer long. My mother is not yet ready to speak in front of a crowd, but she would like me to mention how much everyone's support has meant to her.
On a lighter note, I would like to take this moment to correct a popular misconception. Yesterday at the funeral, several people said to me “look how black his hair was when he was younger.” If he were here today, he would explain to you that his hair was not gray. When I was in second grade, I was dressed as Batman for Halloween, and my father took me trick-or-treating dressed as the gray-haired butler Alfred. My dad died his hair for the costume and the die, just never came out.. … but in all honesty, my dad told me that and I somehow believed it for many years.

Many of you, who are not from Dover or Sherborn, may be curious about why we are holding this event in a high school auditorium. Over the last ten-plus years of his life, my dad's passion was working as a member of the Dover-Sherborn Boosters. He held numerous leadership positions including an unprecedented three terms as President. I guess that's only fitting for a man named Franklin.

During his involvement, the boosters accomplished many things that improved the life of the children in the community. When I entered the high school in the fall of 2002, we were the only school in our league who couldn't have Friday night football games... or any night time athletic events for that matter, because there were no lights on the field behind this building. We could not have home track meets because the track did not meet the standards of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletics Association. We now have lights and a new track; and we have a new turf field which my dad instrumental in helping install. When I was in high school, he was responsible to the creation of the DS Boosters Triathlon, an event which continues to be held every fall, where participants start by swimming across the local pond, bike towards this high school, and finish the run with lap around the track.
I should also mention that his involvement in the boosters was preceded by the active involvement of both of my parents in the Dover Sherborn Education Fund. The fact that he and my mom dedicated so much of their time to the betterment of me, my siblings, and our peers underscores how lucky we have been to have them as parents, mentors, and friends.
My father was frequently the first person I would turn to for advice. He was a natural leader, a master of logistics, and always one to keep things in perspective. As many of you may know, he lost his father when he was a little younger than I am, and there have been countless times these past several days, where I've wished that I could have asked him for advice. My extended family and numerous family friends have been doing a wonderful job of providing comfort and helping with the planning. And on that note, I would like to conclude by thanking everyone who has offered their support this past week, and to paraphrase one of my father and my favorite artists in saying that nothing can ease this pain, but the past several days it truly has been love that has seen us through.
Todd Patterson
David, heartfelt condolences to you and your family. Having been where you are today only four years ago, I can attest that the loss of a sibling at this stage in our life is surreal. How can it be? It defies life's order. Indulge in your memories. Take good care of yourself and his loved ones the best you can. Godspeed.
Franklin Lewis Perlmutter
Memorial
  • born

    Nov 4, 1958
    Newark, New Jersey

  • family

    Liz Perlmutter, Spouse / Partner
    Michael Perlmutter, Child
    Andrew Perlmutter, Child
    Julia Perlmutter, Child
    Harriet Perlmutter, Parent
    Milton Perlmutter (d.), Parent

  • died

    Jun 3, 2016
    Sherborn, Massachusetts