Franklin Marshall Fountain

Franklin Marshall Fountain was born in Kansas City, MO on October 10, 1934, to the late Fannie Mae. On February 7, 2024, at the age of eighty-nine, he peacefully transitioned to his heavenly home. It is with great sorrow Franklin is preceded in death by his wife, Shirley (d. 2022) and first wife, Lona (d. 2021); and stepchildren, Raymond and Eric “Ricky”; and sister, Sandra.

Franklin was educated in the public schools of Kansas City, MO. He was a proud graduate of R.T. Coles Vocational and Junior High School Class of 1953. While attending high school he began working for The Kansas City Call Newspaper as a printer and wrote a column in the Theatrical page. He later leveraged his experience and enlisted in the United States (US) Navy.

In 1954, Franklin began his service with the US Navy. During his time in the military, he was based in Oxnard, CA, where his three beautiful children were raised. He was also based on the USS Harold E. Holt ship in San Diego, CA near his Aunt Geneva who he affectionately called AG. Franklin spent many weekends sharing meals or doing handyman work for her during his visits. AG introduced him to his little cousin Nita in Los Angelas, CA, and they remained friends and confidants throughout the years. He also had many friends from his time spent in the service that remain to this day and refer to him as Big Brother.

Franklin had many accomplishments during his time in the service, which include attending Maryland University for Sociology; receiving multiple Obedience Awards; attaining the Fifth Good Conduct Award; and completing the Human Resource Management Instructor, Race Relations, and Department of Defense Race Relations Institution courses. After serving over 20 years, he retired in 1977 as a Chief Petty Officer and transferred to the Fleet Reserve of the US Navy.

In 1978, Franklin went on to work for the Federal Government in various job disciplines. Before retiring from the National Institute of Health (NIH), he met and fell in love with Shirley White, whom he married in 1981.

When Franklin and his late wife Shirley retired, they moved to Florida to start a new chapter in their lives. While living in Florida, he was passionate about serving the senior community where residents relied on him to leverage his skills to prepare their taxes. To the surprise of many, Franklin and his late wife Shirley relocated back to Maryland in 2001.

After Franklin returned to Maryland, he continued to serve his community and always sought out to help others. He became President of the Imperial Condominium Association for many years, to ensure proposed changes came to fruition. All who met Franklin loved him for his self-sacrificing acts of kindness and he considered them treasured gifts. He will be forever remembered by all who met him.

Left to cherish Franklins’ beautiful memories are his three children Sonia, Le Anna, and Wayne Fountain; two sisters: Deloris Briscoe and Roberta Warren; two sisters-in-law: Gloria White and Hazel Osman; a very dear cousin: Nita Azmar and a host of other relatives and friends.