Samuel Roy Franks' Obituary
Samuel Roy Franks was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on October 12, 1939 to James H. and Dorothy Wessel Franks. He died November 3, 2018 in La Mesa, California.He attended schools in Detroit, Michigan and Frederick, Oklahoma before moving to California where he attended Pacific Beach Junior High School and Mission Bay High School, graduating in 1957. He earned two degrees from San Diego State University, one with a general major and one with a major in botany. He earned a master’s degree from Southern California Seminary. He also took classes at Bethel Seminary West, Biola, and UCLA. He was employed for over 30 years at Solar Turbines, retiring in 2003.He served in the Army and in the National Guard, seeing active duty in Los Angeles during the Watts riots of 1965.He was married to Eloise Redenbaugh. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary by taking a sixteen-day trip to Israel.In 1972, when their oldest son was two years old, they moved to the hills above the Dehesa Valley in East County, living there for over thirty years. Sam was elected to represent Dehesa on the Crest, Dehesa, Granite Hills, Harbison Canyon Sub-Regional Planning Group. In 2002, they returned to Pacific Beach.He enjoyed traveling, especially to Alaska, Hawaii, Europe, and Israel. He loved plants and could name most of the native plant species in San Diego County. Usually he gave the scientific name and had to be asked for the common name. He and his wife enjoyed bird watching at home and when they traveled. He played the trombone in school and loved classical music. His Grandfather Wessel taught him chess when he was young, and he enjoyed teaching the game to his two older grandsons.He was unpretentious, frugal, honest, and forthright. He was not a respecter of persons—he would talk to anyone, young or old, rich or poor, no matter the race nor nationality, it didn’t matter to him. He loved talking to people. He really believed in helping others. He gave money to many people, and also gave work to many. He had a heart for the destitute.He had many interests, including tide pools, astronomy and geology. He was a rock and fossil collector.But most of all, he loved studying the Bible and sharing it with others. He was a lifelong Bible student who studied both Greek and Hebrew so that he could better understand God’s Word, and he had a remarkable memory for Bible verses.He is survived by his wife, sons Tom (Beth) and Rob (Cherie), and four grandsons.
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