Tommy Leon Franklin
Marriages
Shirley Ownbey
Carol Marie Good - 1977
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5B Obituary - March 29, 2018
Tommy Leon Franklin, aka "The Handsome Devil" passed away peacefully in his home on March 28, 2018, at the age of 79. His loving wife, Carol Marie Franklin, and six children survived him. Military funeral honors will be held April 2, at Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery at 3:00 p.m. Additionally, there will be a memorial service March 30th at Clifton Christian Church at 1:30 p.m. Born in western Oklahoma in 1938, his family moved to the Grand Valley at the age of five. His tough upbringing prepared him well for a career in the United States Navy where he attained the rank of Chief (AMSC). After retiring in 1974, he moved back to Grand Junction and worked at the US Postal Service for over 24 years. For those who knew him, he was the "old goat," with a strong willed old-fashioned personality that infected everyone around him. In retirement, you would often see him standing the watch in his front yard where he read, waived at passers-by, and entertained neighborhood friends and family. Though he had hobbies, his greatest labors are evident in the family he left behind. For full eulogy, see http://www.affordablememorialcare.com/ under "Obituaries".
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 6A Death Notices - March 30, 2018
Tom Franklin, 79, Grand Junction, died March 28, 2018, at his home. Services will be at 1:30 p.m. today at the Clifton Christian Church. Burial will be at 3 p.m. Monday at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado. He served in the U.S. Navy. Survivors include his wife, Carol; one son, Thomas Jason of Jacksonville, Florida; five daughters, Alice Skehan of Los Alamos, New Mexico, Cynthia Polich of Agoura Hills, California, Susan Lebowitz of San Diego, Christy Werner of Grand Junction, and Tammy Franklin of Georgetown, Kentucky; one sister, Clara DeVries of Denver; 12 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions to HopeWest, 3090B N. 12th St., Grand Junction; or to the Clifton Christian Church, 615 I-70 Business Loop, Clifton 81520.
https://www.affordablememorialcare.net/notices/Tommy-Franklin
“Handsome Devil” Makes Indelible Mark on local Neighborhood, Family
Tommy Leon Franklin: April 11, 1938 - March 28, 2018 (79)
“The Handsome Devil” passed away peacefully in his home on March 28th, 2018 at the age of 79. His loving wife, Carol Marie Franklin, and six children survived him. Military funeral honors will be held April 2nd at Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery at 3pm. Additionally, there will be a memorial service March 30th at Clifton Christian Church at 1:30pm. See Eulogy below:
Residents of the Trading Post Subdivision off 30 Road and Patterson have long witnessed the legendary tendencies of the neighborhood front porch sitter. Up until recently, you could find him on post, standing the watch. With the flare of a small town feel, passers-by could return a wave from this stalwart retired Navy Chief that sat outside for hours no matter the temperature. Many wondered why he would go to such lengths, including friends and family members. But over time, his presence on that little two-person patio bench came to signify who he was.
Tommy Leon Franklin was born on the family farm in Major County, OK on April 11th, 1938. Just a few years removed from the infamous dust bowl and the great depression, his upbringing was filled with grit. He was the forth of five children and around the age of five, his family moved west from the plains of Oklahoma and planted roots in the Grand Valley. His father forcefully pulled him out of school in the ninth grade to help with his carpentry business. Once Tom turned 18, he enlisted in the United States Navy, where he would serve for nearly 20 years. In the infancy of his Naval career, he met and married Shirley Ownbey when he was 19 years old. Their marriage produced three children: Alice was born in Balboa Naval Hospital in 1958; Cindy was born in Mountain View, CA in 1962; and Susan was born in Honolulu in 1965. Throughout his career he was a good provider and spent time with his kids when he could. As an Airedale, he encompassed the mentality of work hard-play hard. He was an Aviation Structural Mechanic (AMSC) that attained the rank of Chief. The bulk of his tours included the USS Midway (CV-41) and USS Enterprise (CVN-65) as well as duty stations in Barber’s Point (HI), Miramar (CA), Whidbey Island (WA), Alameda (CA), and Strategic Headquarters in Omaha, NE. As preparation for retiring and providing for his family, Tom attended and passed a course to prepare for the US Postal exam. After retiring from the Navy in 1974, the family moved back to Grand Junction. Unfortunately, his marriage with Shirley ended just a few months later.
Right around the same time, Tommy began work with the United States Postal Service. After a few years of bachelor life and visits from Alice, Cindy, and Susan, he began dating. One particular date, which ended up becoming a blind date through mutual friends, would result in the marriage of Carol Marie Good in 1977. Just like Tom brought kids to the marriage, Carol brought a sweet shy little girl named Christy that was born in Montrose in 1972. As proof of Tom’s love for Carol and Christy, he adopted her as a sign of commitment for the marriage. Between Tom and Carol, they had two kids, Thomas Jason Franklin, or just T. J. as he’s been known as who was born in Grand Junction in 1978, and Tamara Marie Franklin who was also born in Grand Junction in 1979. Shortly after their marriage, they bought the house that they would share for the next 40 plus years. Tom worked for the US Postal Service for over 24 years before retiring in 1998. He made many friends over the years that he kept in touch with and worked the swing-shift his entire career.
Though he didn’t redesign himself or take on any new hobbies during the last 20 years of his life, he filled his time on his own terms. There were trips to Mesquite, NV to hit the nickel slots or play some black jack. While at home, one of his activities was to clip out the sports schedule from the Daily Sentinel so he could keep organized and plan out his daily routine. If he wasn’t watching sports on the television, he would indulge in old westerns. Movies of choice were often old John Wayne or Clint Eastwood classics.
When he wasn’t watching football or other sports on TV, he also enjoyed going to JUCO games and watching the Mesa State sporting events. After his kids graduated from high school, he still attended some school sports at Central High School and supported his grandchildren’s individual sporting events. He would assist friends and neighbors with general handyman work and though he might have grumbled at times, he enjoyed service to others. He volunteered with Turkish World Outreach, a Christian missionary outreach program. He also worked with Clifton Christian Church’s food and clothing program and would pick up donated food/clothing for distribution.
Throughout his life, before his health began declining, he thoroughly enjoyed hunting and fishing. In fact, according to his oldest daughters Alice and Cindy, Dad always sought out the best fishing spots at each duty station. They also tell how crafty he was. He would load his own ammo, make his own fishing poles, and even tie flies. There was even a story of nursing a wounded snow owl back to full health when they were stationed in Omaha. Even though he was a homebody and liked keeping to his house later in life, in his younger years he had a passion for experiencing the outdoors and taking advantage of what life had to offer.
Many who knew him later in life called him the “old goat.” He was old fashioned in his ideals of life and family. He got under people’s skin at times and was a very coarse and impatient individual to be around. There was no telling him how to live his life. But on the flip side, he had a very soft side that was truly agreeable. Even though he wanted to be the first person out of church on Sunday, he loved having people over for a visit. It was Jekyll/Hyde for the bulk of his life. It was only during the last few years that he became more docile after suffering a brain injury.
Tom loved to sit outside and watch everything going on in his community. He was always happy to wave hello or give you a hard time if you wanted to joke. He was the informal neighborhood watch and kept an eye out for trouble. His death left a hole behind but he still filled our hearts with love.
