Clear, 49° F
(Dec. 14, 2007)
Funeral services will be Friday, Dec. 14 at 11 a.m. at the Union Presbyterian Church for Wiliam L. Franks, who died Monday, Dec. 10 at the Powell Valley Care Center. He was 91.
Bill was born Dec. 22, 1915, in Tulsa, Okla., to Clyde and Georgie Franks. He was the eldest of seven children.
The family moved to Elk Basin north of Powell when he was a young boy. Bill attended school through the eighth grade in Elk Basin. The family later moved to Powell where he graduated from high school.
As a young man, he worked as a carpenter in the Powell area before moving to Tacoma, Wash. In 1942, he joined the Army Corps of Engineers where he served with the Rhineland Central Europe Corps. He earned the American Service Medal, European African Middle Eastern Service Medal, WWII Victory Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. He received an honorable discharge in December of 1945 and moved back to Powell.
He married Clorous (Susie) Hubbell in Billings, Mont., on June 29, 1946. He worked as a carpenter in the Powell area until going to work for the Farmers Home Adminstration and was employed there until his retirement.Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Clorous of Powell; his sons, Floyd (Lola) Franks of Pullayup, Wash., Terry (Sue) Franks of Cody and Ronald Franks of Powell; daughter Sharon Franks of Billings; seven grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Jack, Jim and Dick; sisters Ruth and Bobbie Jo; and his infant daughter, Debra.
Burial will be in Crown Hill Cemetery under the direction of Haskell Funeral Home. For those who wish, memorial donations to a charity of choice would be appreciated by the family.
