Local authorities have identified Columbia High School graduate Casey Frankoski and Schenectady-born New York State Trooper John Grassia as the deceased. A U.S. Border Patrol agent also lost their life in a helicopter crash near the Texas border with Mexico on Friday, according to military reports.
The incident claimed the lives of two New York National Guard men from the Capital Region and critically injured a third soldier from the area. Rensselaer County elected officials posted statements on social media on Saturday, naming Casey Frankoski, an East Greenbush native and graduate of Columbia High School and the daughter of former Rensselaer Police Chief James Frankoski, and John Grassia, a New York State Trooper and local, as two of the National Guard soldiers that lost their lives.
Following the soldier’s identification on social media, Rensselaer Mayor Michael Stammel verified to the Times Union that the wounded soldier is Jacob Pratt, a Rensselaer High School alumnus. One of the victims of Friday’s helicopter crash near the Texas-Mexico border was a native of Rensselaer and a pilot for the New York National Guard, according to Rensselaer Mayor Mark Stammel. Frankoski’s father is retired Rensselaer Police Chief James Frankoski, according to the mayor, who also mentioned a family legacy “deeply rooted in public service.
” He claimed that the community as a whole is affected by her legacy. Furthermore, according to a post on the official Rensselaer County Facebook page, the crash also claimed the life of John Grassia, a New York State Police trooper who lived in Albany County.
Her brother Robert Thibault and father Joseph Paul both passed away before him. Her friends, husband, and children, James Frankoski (Jill), Lisa Frankoski, Tyler Trembly (Autumn), Casey Frankoski, Jesse Frankoski (Reigan), and Sophie Vogel, as well as her great-grandchildren, Stella, Peyton, Xylas, Charlotte, Mia, and Finnley, survive her.
In addition, she leaves behind her nieces and She was a 1961 graduate of Van Rensselaer High School and had lived in the city of Rensselaer her entire life. Raymond Frankoski, a classmate, pursued her for more than four years before she agreed to their first date, which led to 57 years of happy marriage.
Mary Kay was employed at Woodward Co. and Albany Felt as a She worked as a secretary and a board operator before becoming a stay-at-home mother to two wonderful kids. She returned to work as a Podiatrist at Dr. Couch and Valentini’s practice when her kids were in high school.
