Leroy Leslie Franck, Jr. died Wednesday, October 17 due to complications from Parkinson’s Disease. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, October 25 at McLaren’s Funeral Chapel in West Des Moines, with a visitation at 1:30 until the time of the service.
Lee was born March 18, 1939 to Leroy Franck, Sr. and Elsa (Behrens) Franck in New York City. He received his diploma from Edgemont High School in Scarsdale, New York. Lee went on Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and graduated with a Masters in Marketing. He worked at Younkers for 20 years and was one of the buyers in the Basement. Lee then jumped to the other side and became a salesman for multiple women’s clothing brands. He loved traveling to the stores in all the Iowa small towns and selling directly to them. Lee was offered a transfer to Atlanta and he fell in love with the beaches of the south so he decided to stay for 22 years. Most of those years involved traveling and working out of the motor home while being based in Foley, Alabama. The last 10 years were spent inspecting campgrounds and selling advertising for Woodalls Campground Directory.
In 2015 he and Mary moved back to Des Moines to spend more time with their family.
Lee leaves behind his loving wife, Mary E. Franck; 4 children: Leroy L. Franck, III (Shelia), Donald Franck (Christine), Megan Johansen (Erik), William J. Henss (Ariel); and 7 grandchildren: Lauryn Franck, Lane Franck, Jordyn Franck, Gavin Franck, Logan Franck, Wesley Johansen and Billie Marie Henss.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to The American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA), 1200 Pleasant Street, Rm E-524, Des Moines, Iowa 50309.
