Fran Ursini, known for many endeavors including starting and running the Newport Rib Company in Costa Mesa, died earlier this month. He was 86. Ursini also was known in the Orange County high school sports community as a veteran football official. He worked county games for more than 50 years. He owned and part-owned many dining establishments, but is best known for the Newport Rib Company in Costa Mesa. That has been so successful that the Naples Rib Co. followed in Long Beach with equivalent success. The restaurants have a well-known motto: “We have a lot of competition, but our ribs don’t!” Newport Rib Co. has catered many Orange County events, including high school sporting events, over many years. Fundraising was a central part of Ursini’s life. Many groups benefitted from his philanthropy, including the Special Olympics. If a high school sports team in Costa Mesa or Newport Beach, or beyond, has a fundraising event, Newport Rib Co. is often there to supply the food for it. He wanted his food and his officiating to be the best it could be. “He loved competing in anything,” said his son John Ursini. “Whether it be business or playing softball or refereeing. “When he refereed a game, he wanted it to be a perfect game, which meant nobody realized there were referees there. That was his goal. If no one knew refs were involved, that was how he won the refereeing game.” Fran Ursini is survived by his wife, Karen; sister Alvera Morgan; son John and his wife, Kathy; son David and his wife, Krista; daughter Laura Marroquin and her husband, Jerry; and grandchildren Allie Luna, Maddie, Emily, Angelo, Nicholas, Amber Reyes, Jessica and Justin. The memorial service is set for April 5 at 11 a.m. at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Huntington Beach – the Ursinis helped establish that church – with a memorial reception to follow at the Costa Mesa Golf Course. RSVP at bit.ly/FranCelebrationOfLife. The family has requested island attire and no ties.