Memorial services for Freddy F. Franks of Minden will be held Saturday, June 17. 2017, at 10 a.m. in the West Chapel of First Baptist Church in Minden. Family time will begin at 9 a.m. Burial will be at a later date in his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Mr. Franks passed away at his home on Saturday, May 6, 2017 after a valiant battle with cancer. He was 83 years young.
He was born on Feb. 11, 1934 in Murphysboro, Illinois to George and Lula Franks. When he was 6 years old, the family moved to Tuscaloosa where he attended local schools. Upon graduation, he attended the University of Alabama for two years. After serving in the United States Army at Fort Carson, Colorado, he attended and graduated from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas with a BA degree in Church Music. It was there that he met Alva Burdick of Graham, Texas. While attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth Texas, they married in 1963.
For almost 60 years, Freddy served numerous churches in Texas and Louisiana as a minister of music, senior adults, education and youth. In 1996 he retired, and they returned to their home in Minden. For the past 11 years, he served as the head of the retired minsters of the Webster-Claiborne Baptist Association, a group he especially enjoyed.
Retirement did not slow him down. He served as interim minister of music in several churches in the Shreveport/Bossier area along with one and a half years at Minden Presbyterian Church.
Over the years, Freddy was known around town as an avid bike rider who enjoyed fishing, playing golf and racquetball. He especially enjoyed watching football and was the announcer for the Minden High Crimson Tide football team for several years. He loved serving others and sharing his gift of music.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Alva Burdick Franks, son Duane Franks and wife Caroline, their son Manning and daughter Farrelle of Greensboro, North Carolina; daughter Dawn Franks Harris, and husband, Dr. John David Harris and their daughters Ashlyn and Haidyn of Batesville, Arkansas. He is also survived by his brother, George Franks of Demopolis, Alabama, two sisters Frances Pearson of Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Jean Ward, and her husband John, of Huntsville, Alabama along with many special nieces and nephews.