Franklin A Graybill

Franklin Arno Graybill, who died February 17, 2012, is survived by his wife of 65 years, Jeanne, with whom he raised two children, experienced the joys of three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, and traveled the world.

He was born to Lula Graybill, his dear mother, on September 23, 1921 in Carson, Iowa. He had six older siblings, two of whom died young. He had two brothers, Harold and Cloyd, and was especially close to his two sisters, Laura and Hope. A nephew, Don, was also raised with him as a brother.

Two men who were important parts of his childhood were his brother-in-law Wayne Carr, and his uncle, Walt. He worked on his uncle's farm during the summers, and often reflected back those times with great fondness.

He spent his childhood in poverty during the great depression, although he often said he never felt poor. After graduation from high school he managed to attend Tabor Junior College, working for tuition and board by being an electrician. Even as a poor boy in Iowa he had dreams of being a university professor--a dream he eventually not only realized but excelled.

While later attending William Penn College he left a movie theatre after seeing the film How Green Was My Valley to discover that Pearl Harbor had been bombed. This film remained his favorite for his entire life. He immediately joined the Army Air Corp. He eventually became a communications specialist, and was stationed in the Philippines.

After the war, he finished his schooling at Penn College where he met his future wife Jeanne, in the middle of a street when both were crossing in opposite directions. They married shortly thereafter, and then traveled to Stillwater Oklahoma where he obtained his master's degree. His and Jeanne's son Dan was born there. In 1950 they moved to Ames, Iowa where he obtained his Ph.D. in Statistics at Iowa State University. His and Jeanne's daughter Kathy was born there.

They returned to Stillwater, where he taught at Oklahoma State University until 1960 when the family moved to Fort Collins, Colorado so he could teach at Colorado State University. He began the Statistics program at CSU, and obtained a national reputation with his books, publications, and presidency of the American Statistical Association. His work in Linear Models was groundbreaking and remains so even today. It has been much duplicated.

Although important to his life, there was more to Franklin than his outstanding professional accomplishments. He spent a lot of time with his family, and in his work in the church. He enjoyed golf, visiting relatives, movies, but mostly spending time with Jeanne. Through his work, he and Jeanne were able to live all over the world, where he lectured and taught. Their home is filled with photos and remembrances of their travels.

After retirement from CSU, he and Jeanne moved to Mesa AZ, where they enjoyed living for many years at Leisure World, and then at The Springs. Christmas holidays were his special delight, as he loved decorating their home, setting up his Snow Village, and awaiting the arrival of his children and grandchildren who filled their home with noise and laughter.

Survivors, besides his wife Jeanne, are his son and his wife Vicky, and his daughter and her husband Bill. The three grandchildren are Kathy's daughter Tonia, and Dan's children Jules (and his wife Jessica) and Emily (and her husband Sean). Great-grandchildren are Ian, Adam, Soren, and Sebastian. These people were the joys of his life. He loved them all, and they loved him. He died knowing this.

In lieu of sending flowers the family would like friends to add an entry into the memorial book online at www.mariposagardens.com