Francis Wilco is a retired firefighter and former member of the United States Marine Corps (1969-1974, with two tours done in Vietnam), and is the father of main character Robert Wilco. He reluctantly pet sits Bucky and Satchel from time to time. Although he doesn't mind hanging out with Satchel, he dislikes Bucky and is willing to do a fair amount to keep him out of his hair. He also can be easily annoyed. He has thinning hair and is usually pictured with a cigar dangling from his mouth. Like Bucky, he generally calls Rob "Robert". It is stated in a strip that he threw out is back in Limerick, Ireland in 1965.