Franz J. Weigl, age 88, of Egg Harbor Township, passed away on January 9, 2020, after a brief battle with cancer, surrounded by family and friends. Franz was born February 9, 1931, in Nuremberg, Germany, to Franz X. Weigl and Frieda (Stark) Weigl. He was the younger of two siblings. He lived in Germany during the war years and as a young man, was an apprentice electrician and held jobs with the American Armed Forces during the occupation. In 1955 he followed his sister, Maryann, to Queens, New York, traveling to the U.S. on the SS United States. In 1956 he enrolled in the Navy at the Times Square Armed Forces kiosk. During his service, he earned his GED and U.S. citizenship, and served aboard the U.S.S. Des Moines, Cadmus, and his beloved Salem. In late 1957, Franz met Janet Virginia Edwards, of Portsmouth, VA, at a U.S.O. dance in Norfolk, Virginia. Shortly thereafter, they married on February 11, 1958 at the Portsmouth Naval Chapel. After the Navy, the couple resided in Washington D.C. where Franz acquired his lifelong allegiance to the Washington Redskins. Franz worked as a Service Writer at a Cadillac dealership, and gained the attention of a customer who hired him into I.B.M. Corporation in 1961. With the company, Franz was asked to relocate several times - to Kingston, NY in 1964, to South Jersey in 1968, to Maryland in 1984, and back to South Jersey in 1989. Son Brett was born in 1972 in Somers Point and the family moved to Egg Harbor Township in 1973. Franz retired from I.B.M. in 1993, however he continued working for years thereafter in a contracting capacity, putting his extensive knowledge of I.B.M. mainframes and FAA radar and air traffic control systems to good use. In later years, Franz and Janet traveled extensively to see their son on the West Coast and to attend Navy reunions for the U.S.S. Salem Association with many close friends. Franz had many lifelong interests, including cooking, woodworking, crafting duck decoys, crossword puzzles and cryptograms, wordplay, trivia, and history. After wife Janet passed away in 2015, Franz occupied himself with friends, puzzles, family visits, and a weekly restaurant routine, especially to Sal’s in Somers Point, and Bonefish in the Township. Franz is survived by his son Brett, daughter-in-law Rachel, grandson Julian, all of Walnut Creek, CA; his sister Maryann and nieces Susan and Karen, of Farmingdale, NY; as well as many younger cousins of his sister’s family; and many close friends and neighbors in both the U.S. and in Germany. The family will schedule a celebration of Franz’s life at a later time. In Franz’s memory, the family welcomes donations to the American Cancer Society and the United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum in Quincy, MA, where the U.S.S. Salem is docked.