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Frank Sinatra thought the good thing about being named after the famous singer, Ol' Blue Eyes, is that people were sure never to forget him.

But Mr. Sinatra always will be remembered for his love for his family, his passion for golf and his generosity toward his alma mater, Point Park University -- with or without the famous name, friends and family said.

Frank Sinatra, of Elizabeth Township, a business owner and board member of the Point Park University Alumni Association, died Monday, March 21, 2005, of thyroid cancer at home. He was 57.

Carol Sinatra said the bad thing about her husband having the late crooner's name is that her husband had the blue eyes but couldn't sing at all.

"People would always ask my husband to sing them a tune, and he always joked that he even hummed very badly," Sinatra said, with a laugh. "He always handled the teasing and the questions very well."

Carol Sinatra said her husband and the singer are distant cousins -- their great-great grandfathers are related. She said she and her husband met the singer once at a golf fund-raiser in 1996 in Palm Springs, Calif.

Mr. Sinatra was born in McKeesport on Jan. 9, 1948 but was raised in Glassport. He graduated from Glassport High School in 1965. He took some classes at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania but graduated from Point Park with a business marketing degree in 1970.

He was the founder and chairman of Point Park University's Pioneer Golf Classic, an annual golf outing in Laurel Valley that last year raised $80,000 for the college's School of Business.

"He made a difference at Point Park, not just through volunteerism and hard work, but also through his big, beautiful, positive spirit," said Susan White, vice president for institutional advancement at Point Park University. "He was very much a person who walked the walk and not just talked to talk. His amazing attitude about life took him a long way."

Carol Sinatra said her husband's famous name "opened a lot of doors."

Mr. Sinatra once worked as a pharmaceutical representative for Johnson & Johnson.

"People would always come out to see and listen to Frankie just because of his name. It was a curiosity thing," Sinatra said.

He worked for three years as a finance manager for Mick's North Hills Chrysler-Plymouth Inc., and in 1998 developed his passion for golf and started a logo business, Frank Sinatra Advertising Specialties, in Glassport.

Before turning to golf, Mr. Sinatra played on various community softball teams -- including Great Escape and Clancy's -- for 20 years throughout the Mon Valley area.

He was a member of the Sons of Italy in Glassport and the Churchill Valley Country Club and was a board member of the Pittsburgh Italian Scholarship Fund, which dispenses $60,000 annually in scholarships to needy students of Italian heritage.

"For the kids who needed a break, he wanted to be able to give them one," Carol Sinatra said. "He believed everyone should have a first-class education."

Mr. Sinatra was preceded in death by his parents, Domenica and Ignatius Sinatra.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Carol Sinatra, of Elizabeth; sisters Madalen Nasci, of Baldwin, and Anna Jean Surman, of Elizabeth; brothers Anthony Sinatra, of Sewickley, and Charles Sinatra, of Bethel Park; nine nieces and nephews; and five great-nieces.

Friends will be received at 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Wojciechowski Funeral Home, 640 Vermont Ave., Glassport, where services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday. The Rev. Vince Velas and the Rev. Nick Tarquinio will officiate.

The family suggests contributions to the Point Park University -- Frank Sinatra Memorial Fund, Office of Instructional Advancement, 201 Wood St., Pittsburgh, PA 15222; in Frank Sinatra's name to the Pittsburgh Italian Scholarship Fund, 24 Mt. Hope St., Pittsburgh, PA 15223, Attention: T. Ferraro; or the Elizabeth Township Area EMS, P. O. Box 539, Buena Vista, PA 15018.

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