Lester E. "Bud" Francis

Lester E. “Bud” Francis, 72, passed away January 5, 2014 at his home in Jacksonville, Florida. Born in Washington, DC and raised in Arlington, VA, he has been a resident of Jacksonville for the last 16 years having moved from Charleston, SC. Bud retired as VP of Ceres Marine Terminal after many years and is a member of the Jacksonville chapter of USMMA. He was a communicant of Holy Spirit Catholic Church where he was also a member of the Men’s Club.

Preceded in death by his parents and son, Kevin Francis, he is survived by his wife, Patricia Francis; daughter, Maribeth Crooks (Brian) of Leesburg, VA; son, Christopher Francis (Linda) of Virginia Beach, VA; grandchildren, Lauren Francis, Samantha Francis, Sean Crooks, Matthew Crooks, Nicholas Francis and Meghan Crooks; brothers, Gerald Francis of Burlington, NC and Roy Francis of Marshall, VA.

A service in celebration of Bud’s life will be held 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan 9th at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Jacksonville. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org. Arrangements are under the direction of HARDAGE-GIDDENS FUNERAL HOME, 1701 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Beach, FL.