Joel D. Franz

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Joel David Franz, aged 81, whose laughter and generosity brightened the lives of those around him. Joel was not just a husband, father, and brother; he was a source of true kindness and humor in many people’s lives. With his offbeat humor and his endless capacity for giving, he gave his children a wicked sense of humor and a love of life. He will be remembered by his wife Phyllis Franz, his children Chris and Lisa Franz, his grandchildren, Asher and Ella Doubek, for whom he felt such awe, his son-in-law, Erich Doubek, and his brother Charles Franz. But we like to think that many others will remember a man who touched their lives with his affable personality and unexpected kindness.

Joel loved reading, writing, building model trains, and walking his dogs. He also enjoyed his day-to-day routines, especially when they brought him into contact with his casual friends and his employees. As a “data guy,” Joel worked in the financial industry when computers were the size of a bedroom. There, he was not just the boss but also friends with many of his employees. He worked at a time when there seemed to be few rules dictating workplace demeanor, so antics ensued on a daily basis. Joel was a jokester and had a zeal for life that let him find moments of great fun in the grueling, high-powered life of the financial industry in New York. When he left New York for a quieter life, he found the same camaraderie in his daily chores, from visiting the cleaners on the village green in New Milford, Connecticut, where he lived for many years, or working with management of the condo complex where he lived and ran the board in New Hampshire. Joel called himself a loner, but he was the most well-liked, self-described introvert one could ever meet.

His family often shares stories of Joel’s love of all living things, be it the butterfly stuck on his windshield driving down the freeway for whom he would stop and let fly away or the turtle crossing the road that needed an extra set of hands to clear the dangerous stretch of land. He is also known for his kindness to strangers, a spirit he passed on to his children and grandchildren. Joel was the kind of man who brought food to the homeless living in the local park, where he walked his dogs regularly. But Joel was also the kind of man who did not see any of these acts as extraordinary. They were built into the fabric of his being.

As we remember him, we find comfort in the countless moments of joy he brought to us all and the enduring legacy of love and laughter he leaves behind.

A memorial service take place on Sunday, August 25, at 10:00am at Levine Chapels, 470 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA

In lieu of flowers please send donations in Joel’s name to Great Dog Rescue New England, https://gdrne.com