Francis Reginald Iacobucci Sr. of Newtown Square

Francis Reginald Iacobucci Sr. passed away on Christmas Eve morning, Saturday, December 24th. He was 87 years old.

Relatives and friends are invited to his viewing on Thursday, December 29th, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, and on Friday, December 30th, from 8:30 am to 9:30 am, at D’Anjolell Memorial Home, 2811 West Chester Pike, Broomall. The funeral Mass will take place at 10:00 am at Saint Pius X in Broomall. Interment will be at Ss. Peter and Paul.

Mr. Iacobucci was born on July 22, 1929 to Reginald and Gilda (Durso) Iacobucci. He and his younger brother, Anthony, grew up in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins and other extended family. Proud to be a “first generation” Italian-American, and born into the era of the Great Depression, he believed that a person’s family, and his neighborhood, were at the center of everything important in life.

Mr. Iacobucci began helping his parents at the family’s corner butcher store when he was a child, delivering orders to customers on Friday nights, and to widows and the needy during the holidays. He graduated from Bartram High School, and played semipro football in the Sandlot Knute Rockne League, where he was a tough-asnails offensive guard and linebacker, and, eventually, a coach.

As a young man, he worked full-time learning his father’s trade, but once married and a new father, Mr. Iacobucci felt called to something different. With his father’s blessing, he went to work with his brother-in-law Joe Perna and Joe’s family. He spent days learning to be a carpenter and nights working at the store, slicing meats and preparing and delivering orders.

He fell in love with building and quickly was skilled enough to be a carpentry foreman with more work than he could handle. His brother, Tony, now a city surveying engineer, soon joined him and together as partners they formed Consolidated Carpenters, working out of an office in the basement of Mr. Iacobucci’s home. Their wives worked with them, as bookkeepers and payroll managers, and Consolidated Carpenters soon became one of the largest carpentry contractors in the tri-state area. With some support from their father, the Iacobucci brothers built their first three houses, and a building and development company was born. The Iacobucci Organization, later Iacobucci Homes, evolved from that small carpentry business to one of the most highly recognized and respected home building businesses in the Delaware Valley. A realty and marketing arm, Contemporary Realty Corporation, was added as an independent but integral part of the firm. Over the course of his career, Mr. Iacobucci, his brother and sons helped lead the company to multiyear listings in the National Top 300 Builders, developing more than 45 communities and 6000 single and multi-family homes. Iacobucci Homes won many national and local awards for outstanding achievement in both building and sales.

Mr. Iacobucci’s favorite saying was “If you love what you do, it’s never work,” and he did truly love what he did. He had many hobbies and interests, however, none more important than Philadelphia football. He was a serious and dedicated Eagles fan. A season ticket holder since the Birds played at Franklin Field, he loved nothing more than sitting on the narrow benches with a blanket and a kielbasa, his dad, brother, son and nephew at his side. Ever since, as a loyal fan, he has loved and hated the team through the good times and the bad.

He loved golf with a passion, and enjoyed playing with his many, many friends, big-game fishing on the Bobbi C, Thursday night cards, sailing and traveling around the world, and enjoyed his homes, in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, Jupiter, Florida and Avalon, New Jersey. Mostly he loved his kids, his grandkids, and his great-grandkids; their trips together to Alaska and, frequently, Disney World, the crazy Christmas Eve scavenger hunts, and the many precious weekends in Ocean City and Avalon they spent boating, water and jet-skiing, tubing, catching crabs off the dock, and simply hanging out on the beach or floating in the bay.

Mr. Iacobucci was a founder of Madison Bank and a member of its Board of Directors. He was a member for many years of the National Association of Home Builders, Chester and Delaware counties, and an original member of the Apartment Owners Association of Delaware County. He served on the Board of Admiral’s Cove Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida. Mr. Iacobucci was an active, longtime member of Llanerch Country Club, where he provided leadership on many committees over the years. He enjoyed working with local political campaigns, particularly in Delaware County, and in 1997 was named Man of the Year by the Christopher Columbus Memorial Association, an honor he shared with his brother.

The family thanks Elsie and Charles Crandal for their years of loving care, and the staff of Barclay Friends for their skilled and thoughtful work.

Mr. Iacobucci is survived by his wife, Olga Iacobucci, his children Carol Ann Gardner and Francis Iacobucci, Jr. (Karen); grandchildren Daniella Hopkins (Michael), Jack Gardner, III (Alexis), Kristin Iacobucci (Win Heckert), Francis Iacobucci III, Andrew Gardner (Kelsey), Madeline Iacobucci (Joe Farrant) and Cathryn Iacobucci; and great-grandchildren Caroline, Abrianna, Madeline, Jack IV, A.J. and Marcella.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Alzheimers Association, Delaware Valley Chapter, 399 Market Street, #102, Philadelphia, PA 19106 or to Barclay Friends Employee Fund, 700 North Franklin Street, West Chester, PA 19380 or to West Chester Friends School, 415 North High Street, West Chester, PA 19380.

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