Henry Franklin

Born Hersl Majer Frenkiel, Henry died September 16, 2011 at Dignified Living in Richardson . He is preceded in death by his wife, Frances (Ethel Fela) Franklin and his son, Jack Benjamin Franklin (who was the first baby born in Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp after liberation.) Henry is survived by his son, Robert M. Franklin and wife Lenna Webb; grandchildren, Matthew Franklin, Alison Franklin and Kimberly Cole, husband Josh; great granddaughter, Eden Rose Cole, (all of California ); and niece Marie Kaufman of Los Angeles . Henry was Zaidie to daughter-in-law, Lenna’s children and grandchildren; Mathew Long and children Gray, Laken and Gunner; Marcus Long, his wife Tiffany and children, Caden and Landry (all of the DFW area).

Henry and Frances were survivors of the Holocaust, during which Henry’s entire large family were wiped out. They were the first couple to marry in the concentration camp, Bergen Belsen, where Frances was liberated.

With a family background of owning and operating a large knitting mill, Henry was tasked by the Nazis to run the Kashub Radziewski Knitting factory in Lodz, Poland, where they produced wool gloves, socks and sweaters for the German Army until August 1944. With intelligence and cunning he was responsible for keeping many workers alive by supplementing their production quotas, including his future wife’s, Frances. After the knitting factory, Henry was sent through Auschwitz and several other concentration and work camps ending up punching bolt holes in large truck tire wheels with just one drill bit on a drill press designed to punch all the holes at once. He knew that if that last drill bit broke, it would be his end.

Henry and Frances immigrated to Los Angeles in 1948, where they started a small business, Family Fabric Shop in Reseda, CA. They grew this business into on of the largest independent fabric stores in the U.S. owing to that same intelligence and savvy that Henry used during the war. They moved to Dallas in December 2000 with their son, Bob, and their daughter-in-law, with whom they lived until 2006 when they moved to Dignified Living in Richardson .

Special thanks to the caregivers at Dignified Living and the Harris Hospice nurses and aids who saw him through his final months. Sarah Kaptan, owner of Dignified Living, has been a steadfast guardian of Henry’s well being for six years and we offer her our upmost appreciation for both Henry and Frances ’s care.

Graveside services will be held on Sunday, September 18th at 1 p.m. at Hillcrest Memorial Park . A reception will be held at the home of his son and daughter-in-law after the burial. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the 1939 Club, 8950 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 437 , Beverly Hills , CA 90211