Townsend Group principal dies Posted: October 1, 2007, 12:01 AM ET Post a Comment Recommend Frank Blaschka, a principal at the Townsend Group, died Sept. 19. He was 46. “Frank faced his battle with cancer with a quiet grace and dignity that showed us the finest qualities of the human spirit,” Terry Ahern, Townsend CEO, wrote in an e-mail. “We will miss his gentle soul, his innate sense of fairness and his honest care and concern for others. We are better people for having known him.” Mr. Blaschka, a principal since 1997, joined Townsend in 1992 and was chair of the investment committee. Before that, he was a senior attorney in the corporate and real estate practice groups at Hahn Loeser + Parks. He was also on the board of directors at Pension Real Estate Association and spoke at industry conferences and seminars. Mr. Blaschka earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon and a law degree from Columbia University School of Law, where he was the executive editor of the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law. He is survived by his wife, Anne. A funeral Mass was celebrated Sept. 24 at St. Ladislas Parish in Westlake, Ohio.