Frank M. Warr of Sparta passed away peacefully at Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023. He was 82.
Frank was born to Martha (née Stokes) and W. Everett Warr on July 3, 1941, in New York City and grew up in New Jersey, where he graduated from North Hunterdon Regional High School in 1959.
Frank grew up spending summers at his grandad’s farm in Saugerties, N.Y., and loved 4-H club. He planned to join the Army after high school, until his guidance counselor introduced him to architecture, which changed the trajectory of his life. In this, he discovered his true passion and chose building design as his life’s work.
After graduating with an architecture degree from Syracuse University, he opened an architecture firm, Houghton Quarty Warr (now HQW) in 1971 with two college friends, William Houghton and N. Stewart Quarty.
As “baby architects,” they broke ground, pouring their hearts and souls into the foundation of a firm which served countless clients in the tri-state area and beyond. Frank was the last of the founding partners, remaining at the helm for over a half-century on Main Street in Newton after Bill and Stu retired.
Some of their notable projects are the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice; Olde Lafayette Village; Sussex County YMCA; Skylands Stadium; Cochran Plaza; the municipal buildings of Newton, Sparta and Lafayette; Sussex County Library; many projects at Pope John XXIII Regional High School; Sussex County Community College Fine Arts Center; Perona Farms Renovations; Knoll View Assisted Living Facility; and Knoll Heights Senior Housing along with multiple buildings at Blair Academy.
In many of Frank’s designs, his architectural signature of prominent porch columns can be seen.
He found joy in the mastery of intricate details of built things. In his spare time, he studied model trains, carefully placing them within highly detailed scaled landscapes of his own creation.
He took a keen interest in wooden ships, constructing complex seafaring models, each more challenging than the last with his latest unfinished work, the HMS Surprise, measuring several feet long.
These works were informed by visits to extant examples and recreations in the Northeast and within the pages of old world rigging and ship-building books. He was fastidious, creating functional rudders and sewing and rigging the sails by hand. In his last project, he pieced the metal hull together with hundreds of individually cut and patinated copper plates of his own making.
Frank’s gregarious personality and infectious sense of humor left an indelible mark on the community and all who knew him. He deeply loved his family and they will remember him for his generosity and exemplifying a life lived to the fullest. He will truly be missed.
He is survived by his loving wife, Patti; two children, Pamela Mistretta (Vincent) and Gregory Warr (Liliana) and their daughter, Sara; his two step-daughters, Kristi Miro (Robert Otto) and their sons, Max and Charlie, and Kelli Sienicki (Christian) and their son and daughter, Kane and Peyton. He is also survived by his brother Roger Warr and sister Gail Braun.
He was preceded in death by his sister Kathy Abbiate and brother Richard Warr.
Our heartfelt thanks to the Quinlan family and staff at the Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice for their outstanding care, compassion and support during Frank’s final days.
Visitation will be held Friday, Sept. 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Goble Funeral Home, 22 Main St., Sparta.Interment will be at St. Joseph Cemetery in Newton for family and invited guests immediately following.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice.