John Robert Franklin was born 07 February 1946 and passed from this life on 14 June 2025 at 79 years.
John was the only child of James A Franklin and Lois M Johns Franklin. He married Shirley Sue Goins. His parents and wife predeceased him.
John is survived by his sons, Michael Franklin (Blake) and Joshua Franklin (Jennifer) and his grandsons Bryce Franklin and Trent Franklin.
He went by many names including Dad, Papaw, Uncle John, Big John, Thumper, Papa John, and a few Sue called him we aren’t going to mention.
John worked hard in spite of the fact he was a polio survivor. His first job was welding. He was taught by his Dad at age 11. By the time he was 13 he had his own welding truck that he would take down to Tullos to work on rigs. Of course he would have to skip school but welding paid better. Throughout his life, John worked a variety of jobs including logger, truck driver, drove the hearse for Southern Funeral home as their “body lifter”, and a carpenter.
John could build anything he set his mind to. In his early years he built hot rods. His favorite was a Yellow Olds 442 with white interior. He built a trike out of a VW Karmann Ghia and rebuilt some of the wrought iron works when they were renovating Natchitoches. John and Sue worked together renovating and remodeling homes and businesses until retirement. John greatly appreciated craftsmanship in all things.
He savored life’s simple pleasures- a cup of black coffee shared with his buddies, swapping stories, afternoons in the bleachers cheering on his grandson, and quiet evenings watching Sue with her horses.
Through marriage to Sue he inherited a huge family that will miss him greatly!
A memorial service will be held at The Baptist Church of Choudrant, June 30, 2025 at 5:30 pm. Immediately after, a pot luck supper will be held in their family life center. John always enjoyed a good “eating meeting” so to honor him, please bring any dish he loved or you think he would love.
