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In memory of

John Thomas Franklin

Bradenton, Florida

April 29, 1935 - July 11, 2020

Apr 29, 1935 - Jul 11, 2020

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The Rev. Dr. John Franklin passed away at home in Bradenton, Florida on July 11th after an extended battle with multiple myeloma. He is survived by his beloved wife Cheryl Cunningham, their daughter, Beth Ann Yeh (Brian) of Alexandria, Virginia, their son Kevin Michael Franklin (Keehae Park) of San Francisco, California and grandchildren Annabelle June and Colin Thomas Yeh, Gina Marie and Ian Robert Franklin and by his sisters, Mary Catherine Brahler of Quincy, Illinois and Margaret Ann Jones of White Bear Lake, Minnesota.

John lived a long and fulfilling life. He loved helping people in a variety of ways through his various careers. He enjoyed reading (and talking) about history and philosophy, attending the theater, opera and classical musical performances, riding his bicycle in nature, and spending time laughing with family and his many loving friends.

Father Franklin was born at home on April 29, 1935 and grew up in Mt. Sterling, Illinois, the beloved son of Lawrence Thomas Franklin and Anna Rose Franklin (nee Ducey). He graduated from St. Mary’s Academy in Mt. Sterling, where he was active in sports. Following high school he attended Roman Catholic seminaries in New Berlin Illinois and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein, Illinois (B.A in Philosophy) and the North American College in Rome Italy where he received his Licentiate in Theology and was ordained a priest on December 18, 1960. As a Catholic priest he served as assistant pastor at St. Elizabeth Church in Granite City, Illinois, assistant Newman Center Chaplain, Eastern Illinois University, Director of Campus Ministry at the University of Illinois-Springfield and Spiritual Director at the Diocesan Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, Illinois.

He married Cheryl Marie Cunningham on June 17, 1972. He earned a Masters degree in Psychology at the University of Illinois-Springfield in 1971 and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1986,. John worked as a counselor and then director of counseling at Brighton Hospital in Brighton, Michigan from 1974 to 1978. He was a professor of Addiction Studies at Mercy College (later University of Detroit Mercy) from 1978 to 2008. He started the Addictions Studies Program there, one of the first in the country to train counselors to work with people suffering from addictions.

In 2006, Father Franklin was received as a priest in the Episcopal Church and called to be rector of St. Stephens, a historic congregation in Hamburg, Michigan, where he served for eight years before retiring to Bradenton, Florida in 2015.

A private funeral with livestreaming available on FaceBook will be held at Episcopal Church of the Annunciation on Saturday July 18th at 1.30 pm EST / 10.30 am PST at https://www.facebook.com/Epis…

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