By Karenlyn Barone
Lynbrook village officials and employees remember Frank F. Kehr as serious and respectful, a quiet man with equal measures of integrity and compassion.
Kehr, a former police chief of the Lynbrook Police Department for 14 years, passed away on Saturday, Jan. 3. He was 75.
Kehr was born in New York City on June 17, 1928. At the age of 24, he joined the Lynbrook Police Department. He rose through the ranks, becoming a sergeant in 1960 and a lieutenant in 1963. Just 10 years later, he became acting chief of police, and the following year, in 1974, he was promoted to chief of police. During his years of service, he received six commendations for various arrests and lifesaving feats.
"When I served in the Division of Criminal Justice Services in the 1970's, Chief Kehr served on the Board of the Bureau of Municipal Police," said Lynbrook Village Trustee Morrey Forman. "I met him through my work at the agency with municipal police training and standards. I was always impressed by his focus, integrity and composure, his seriousness of purpose and the way he presented himself."
Kehr served as chief of police until his retirement in 1988. He was a member of many organizations such as the Federal Bureau of investigation National Academy, the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, the Nassau County Municipal Chiefs Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Police Holy Name Society and the International Police Association. He was also a graduate of the F.B.I. National Academy.
He was a fair and compassionate man, said Lynbrook-s current Chief of Police Joseph Neve. He loved the police department and this community and he was sorely missed when he retired.
Kehr was well respected within the department as well as within the Village of Lynbrook.
He affected not only the police department, but everyone in the village as well, said Village of Lynbrook employee Linda O-Reilly. I knew him for 26 years and he was a true asset to the village. It didn-t matter whether you were a file clerk or someone higher up, he gave everyone the utmost respect.
Village Clerk Carol Hansen remembered fondly the respectful way in which Kehr addressed everyone. He always called you Mrs. or Miss, she said. I think of him as our highly respected, much beloved former chief of police. He exuded respect by his mannerisms and decorum. He gave it and he earned it.
Kehr remained in touch with his Lynbrook friends even after his retirement and move to Suffolk County. He was a wonderful man, said a village employee named Theresa, who asked her last name not be used. This was a chief.
Lynbrook mayor Gene Scarpato remembered Kehr and expressed his sympathy to the family on behalf of the Village of Lynbrook. He was one of those people who come along once in a long while, he said. He was always reserved -- a gentle giant.
Kehr, who was a resident of Calverton when he died, is survived by his wife, Marie, and son, Frank Kehr Jr. He was the step-father of William, Edward and John Abeltin, Linda Franc, Carol Cheshire and Donna Matzen. Kehr was the proud grandfather of 18 grandchildren and great-grandfather of one. He is also survived by his brother Charles Schmidt and Barbara Loescher, and his brother Robert Schmidt pre-deceased him.
A wake was held at the Reginald H. Tuthill Funeral Home in Riverhead and burial was Wednesday, Jan. 7, at Pinelawn Memorial Park, Pinelawn, New York.
