Betty Franks

Betty Jane (Miller) Franks departed this life on July 10, 2016. Betty met her final days with grace and courage, as she had met all the earlier challenges of her life; and she passed on with no regrets for a life wonderfully lived. She was a lovely human being-a true lady in all the very best senses-and it was always easy to both like and respect her. She was born on August 3, 1922 in Effingham, IL, but she was truly a Texan, beginning her life here at one month of age. Her parents were James Thornton Miller and Edith Marie (Green) Miller, both inheritors of the traits of their simple, honest, and hardworking pioneer forbears. Betty loved tracing their lineages through generations back to the earliest colonial settlers of Massachusetts and Virginia. The wanderlust inherited from her ancestors was satisfied by her life as a military wife. She married Clarence Edwin Franks on July 1, 1942, and their lives together afforded them frequent moves from coast-to-coast and even a lengthy stay in Paris, France-a major experience of cultural development for the entire family. She accommodated these moves with apparent ease, and with excitement for the next phase of life. She loved music. She contributed her beautifully trained coloratura soprano voice to the various musical communities she encountered. Another great love was gardening. Every set of quarters benefited by her landscaping efforts, even if only window boxes on barracks.

She is survived by her two children, Clarence Edwin, Jr. (Bud), and Leslie Jane, and their spouses Francelle Fuller and Marc Gerstein; grandchildren, Courtney Wyn Almy and Christopher Edwin; great-grandchildren, Carter and Sam Franks and Arden and Adeline Almy, numerous nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her constant cat companion, Rascal. We mourn her loss and will remember her sweet spirit. A Graveside services will be held on Friday, July 15, 2016 at 10:00AM at Sunset Memorial Park. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 11:00AM at the Universal City United Methodist Church.

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