Obituary of Frank Louis Buczek Jr. Ph.D.

Frank Louis Buczek Jr. Ph.D. passed away at the age of 64 on June 10th, 2021 peacefully after a long and courageous battle with Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD - a rare form of dementia) in his home surrounded by his family. 

Frank was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on April 24th, 1957, son of Frank Louis Buczek Sr. and Betty Joy Bulgarelli. Growing up in Binghamton, New York, he was a Boy Scout, avid swimmer, band member for the clarinet section, and enjoyed playing basketball and football. He was Captain of his college swim team in 1979 and was the assistant coach to the SUNY Binghamton swim team from 1981 to 1983. His first true love was his ‘74 Dodge Challenger.

He dedicated his life to helping others through the field of biomechanics, spending time with his family, and living out his faith. His academic career began in 1980 when he graduated cum laude with distinction from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo in Mechanical Engineering. Frank later completed his M.S in 1985 in Physical Education with an emphasis in Biomechanics from Indiana University. He went on to complete his Ph.D. in Exercise and Sports Science with a Biomechanics focus at Penn State in 1990. Frank completed his post-doctoral fellowship at NIH (National Institute of Health) in 1993. He then served as Director of the Biomechanics Laboratory at the Santa Rosa Rehabilitation Center in San Antonio, Texas where he conducted human movement studies at the outpatient rehabilitation center. Frank served as a Director of the Motion Analysis Laboratory at Shriners Hospital in Erie, PA from 1997 to 2007. In 2007, Frank joined the Health Effects Laboratory Division (HELD) at NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) where he led musculoskeletal research which continued through 2014. 

Frank was an active member of key professional societies where he contributed toward improvements in management and leadership. He served as a guest reviewer for numerous professional journals and as an NIH study panel member for the Musculoskeletal and Rehabilitation Sciences study section through 2017. His C.V lists 32 refereed publications, 66 refereed proceedings and abstracts, 41 invited presentations, and 47 lectures where he would speak at international conferences. Frank also contributed to 22 public relations efforts where he furthered public awareness of cerebral palsy, human motion analysis, and biomechanics. His research history included successful grant support from NIOSH, Shriner’s, and Penn State CELOS. His career-long contributions to the biomechanics field have truly been a source of continuing inspiration, encouragement, and commitment. Accordingly, the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society (GCMAS), for which he served as President in 2004, awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

With all of his professional accomplishments, Frank was best known for his soft voice, his “dad jokes,” and his devout Christian faith. He enjoyed riding his bike at Lake Erie, leading church services, watching his favorite movies (e.g., Red; The Italian Job; Cliffhanger; Spy; Hunt For Red October), playing his clarinet and piano. He could fix almost anything, and enjoyed tinkering and repairing things, and providing advice or a helping hand to folks with a broken car appliance and some electrical work. He was a softy when it came to his little dog Precious, who held a special place in his heart and was his faithful companion. But mostly, Frank enjoyed having “Daddy Daughter Days” with Theresa and Natalia, and spending time with Yvonne. He enjoyed special outings with his family, big family events, and planning and cooking celebratory meals for Yvonne and his girls.

Frank is survived by his wife of 28 years, Dr. Yvonne Theresa Hoogland, his two daughters, Theresa Joy Buczek and Natalia Lucretia Buczek, his older sister, Mary Ann Davis, his younger brother, Christopher Conrad Buczek, and his youngest brother, David Alan Buczek and sister-in-law, Maria Zarrelli Buczek, and their children, Tyler, Daniel, and Natalie.

A memorial service will be held in Frank’s honor at Chantilly Bible Church on Saturday, June 19th, 2021 at 2pm for his close family and friends.  If you were unable to attend, the memorial service was recorded and can be found at this link: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/562463712

Frank’s family is forever grateful for the help and kindness served through Vitas Hospice in Reston, VA, and a special thanks to Ellie, Ivan, and Alpha, whose dedication and professionalism made Frank’s last few months and weeks as peaceful and as comforting as possible for not only Frank but his entire family.

In addition, Frank’s family thanks Dr. David Irwin’s team at the University of Pennsylvania, where Frank’s brain has been donated for research. This information will be used around the world in search for a treatment and cure for FTD. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to be made to the organization of The Association of Frontotemporal Degeneration (follow this link: https://www.theaftd.org).