Obituaries: Franklin

Posted on October 5, 2015

Martha Franklin

Martha Lee Franklin, 95, of Fairbury, passed away at 2:40 a.m., Oct. 3 at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington.

Her funeral will be at 3:00 p.m., Tuesday at Duffy-Pils Memorial Home, Fairbury. Her son, Leroy Franklin, will be officiating.

Visitation will be Tuesday from 1-3:00 p.m., also at the funeral home.

Burial will be at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday at River Hills Memorial Park, Batavia.

Memorials may be made to World Wide Literature and Missionary Supplies, 300 Byrd Industrial Drive, Hamburg, Ariz. 71646.

Martha was born Dec. 8, 1919 in Highland, AR the daughter of Frank and Martha Barton Threat.

She married Benjamin Paul Franklin on Oct. 4, 1941 in Caldwell, Ariz. He passed away on Nov. 8, 1981.

Surviving are her children, Robert (Saundra) Franklin of Middleburg, Fla.; Pauline Augsburger of Normal; Leroy (Jan)Franklin of Big Rock; and Debra (Dale) Harms of Fairbury; 12 grandchildren, Chris Franklin, Brian (Sonia) Franklin, John Franklin, Peggy Augsburger, Paul Augsburger, Katie (Jay) Froman, Sarah Franklin, Mark Franklin, Thomas Franklin, Emily (Craig) Arbuckle, David (Chelsea) Harms, Michael Harms; 13 great-grandchildren; two sisters, Winnie Baker of California and Ernestine Riley of Arizona.

She was preceded in death by two brothers, Charley and William Threat.

Martha grew up in rural Arkansas, moving to Elgin in 1953, then to Batavia in 1955. She worked for Dole Electric from 1962 until 1987. She worked second shift and walked to and from work. In 1987, she relocated to Fairbury where she lived independently until moving to Fairview Haven in December of 2013.

Martha was a charter member of New Prospect Missionary Baptist Church in Colt, AR, Bethel Baptist Church in St. Charles, and Antioch Baptist Church, St. Charles.

She enjoyed church, sewing, quilting, gardening, reading, and family history. She especially enjoyed family gatherings where she made our favorite foods.

The family offers sincere thanks to friends and staff at Fairview Haven, Dr. Jennifer Stevens, and OSF St. Joseph Staff for their kindness.

Condolences and tributes may be made to the family at www.duffypilsmemorialhome.com.

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