Frank Stark Jr., 54, former co-owner of Bellmawr Pizza

Frank F. Stark Jr., 54, of Marlton, former co-owner of Bellmawr Pizza, died of cancer on Wednesday, Dec. 23, at Cooper University Hospital in Camden.

Born in Cherry Hill, Mr. Stark graduated from Cherry Hill High School East in 1979 and worked as a boiler technician on the destroyer Steinaker.

Before joining the pizza parlor, Mr. Stark worked as a counterman at Bellmawr Plumbing Supply.

"He was one of the best guys there is," said Mike Mann, now the company's owner, who worked with him as a counterman. "He is a guy's guy."

Mann said he had known Mr. Stark before they were high school classmates.

"He was my best friend for a long time," Mann said.

Mr. Stark's wife, Olga, had owned Bellmawr Pizza, on Browning Road near Bell Road, since 1981, until a 1990 business visit by her future husband turned into marriage.

She had bought the pizza parlor, she said, "because I was crazy. I liked cooking the food, being my own business owner."

As co-owners until they sold it in 2012, she said, "we built our business bigger. We did everything, seven days. Now you know why we got out of it. In it too long.

"For almost the last four years," she said, Mr. Stark had worked as what was called a shore man for the Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co., "doing beach replenishing on Long Beach Island."

Mr. Stark was "on the shore and big projects were bringing sand onto the beach, and he was directing them."

He was a member of Local 25 of the International Union of Operating Engineers.

Besides his wife, he is survived by daughter Nina.

Visitations were set from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 29, and from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30, both at St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church, 615 Mercer St., Cherry Hill, before an 11 a.m. funeral service there, with interment in Lakeview Memorial Park, Riverton.

Donations may be sent to the Nina Stark Education Fund, TD Bank, 225 E. Greentree Rd., Marlton, N.J. 08053, or to any TD Bank..

Condolences may be offered to the family at www.reidyfuneral.com.

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