Versagi's Beloved Voice Silenced

Frank Versagi, known among generations of Royal Oak residents for his civil discourse and institutional knowledge of all things Royal Oak, died Friday of a massive heart attack.

He was 89.

A funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Mary Catholic Church in Royal Oak.

Versagi, a World War II veteran and Bronze Star recipient, settled in Royal Oak in 1975 with his wife of nearly 45 years, Muriel, the Observer & Eccentric reports. It was a second marriage for both of them, and they were both known as dedicated community servants.

“I wish every woman was as privileged as I was to have a man love her as much as my husband loved me,” his wife, Muriel Versagi, told the newspaper. “It’s impossible to describe.”

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The Observer & Eccentric said that Versagi stated his opinions so eloquently that he often swayed people’s opinions, at least partially, on community issues.

“... Nice, decent man,” Steve Krause wrote on the city of Royal Oak’s Facebook page. “I always enjoyed chatting with him. …”

“He was an absolutely brilliant man and I know that I will miss him,” added John Davids.

Versagi was born in Cleveland on Dec. 5, 1924, and moved to Port Huron in 1952, where he worked as the Mueller Brass Co.’s chief chemist. He was an internationally recognized writer and editor of the HVAC International business newspaper.

When he and Muriel, whom he married in 1970, moved to Royal Oak 39 years ago, he started a third career as a management and marketing consultant, working internationally.

He was a past president of the Lions Club and Chamber of Commerce, and her served on the city’s Charter Review committee and the advisory committees for Royal Oak Schools, Oakland Community College and Macomb Community College. He maintained a web site, Versagi Voice, where he kept people apprised of community events.

Mayor Jim Ellison said his and Versagi’s opinions were often at odds, but he added an important voice to the community.

“I often had problems with his opinions but I always felt his observations were very astute,” Jim Ellison said. “I always respected him for the fact he told it like it was, and what he saw was pretty good.

“A community needs someone like Frank who can give you a non-biased version of what he is seeing. I think he performed a valuable service to this community and he is going to be missed.”

Read the full obituary on William Sullivan & Son Funeral Home.

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Photo: William Sullivan & Son Funeral Home