WE HAVE ALL LOST A GREAT FRIEND A tribute to Francis J. Owsik By Shaun Barry When we first heard that Fran Owsik had leukemia, it seemed impossible. Fran was a giant of a man who had never met a problem that he couldn’t solve. He said the “The Owsiks” never give up, and he spent his life living up to that belief. As a young man, he excelled in any sport that he tried. He was a great swimmer winning many competitions. He led his CYO basketball team to two state championships averaging 33 points a game. He played baseball, and he thought it might have been his best sport. He was a pitcher with a sidearm delivery. He would start his curveball outside the plate scaring right-handed batters while relaxing left-handed batters because the ball was way outside the strike zone until the ball would snap across the plate for a strike. He was hard to hit, but when he had a bat in his hand, the opposing pitcher had to treat him very carefully. Matt Dobbie shared an old newspaper clipping declaring that Francis Owsik had won the game for Metuchen with a 4 for 4 performance at bat. He took up golf because his dad Frank was an excellent golfer. Fran started as a caddie at Metuchen CC and eventually became an assistant professional at Metuchen CC. His dream of being a head pro did not
happen, but it wasn’t because his game wasn’t good enough. One year, he finished in the top ten in the New Jersey State Open. As many know, only really good golfers can do that, it doesn’t happen by chance. Fran started working on the maintenance crew at Metuchen CC., and he fell in love with his new job. This love affair lasted 40 years. He became the superintendent at Colonia CC, Tamarack GC, and Lakewood CC. He retired from Lakewood after 21 years because of his leukemia, but he never retired from being a superintendent.
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Fran wanted to give back and help whenever he could. He joined the GCSANJ Board of Directors and served on the Public Relations Committee. He wanted to promote our association. You may still see a GCSANJ tie or a GCSANJ coaster or a GCSANJ decal around, these all were his promotional ideas. Fran never stopped enjoying life. He had a memorable golf trip to Ireland with several friends and superintendents. Fran played in the Centennial Cup at Lahinch. This was a team event, and he made a 15foot putt on the last hole to beat a team that never lost. When the locals in the pubs found out what he had done, he became a celebrity. He couldn’t drink all THE GREENERSIDE |
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