- Date Of Birth: April 11, 1938
- Date Of Death: March 28, 2018
- State: Colorado
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
