Helen Irue Franklin

Date of Death: April 2, 2018

Place of Birth: Anson, Texas

Place of Death: Austin, Texas

Parents: Albert and Ola Power (Deceased)

Helen was the oldest of three siblings. She had two younger brothers, both deceased. She was born and raised on a farm in West Texas where her parents were sharecroppers growing cotton on leased land. She, along with her parents and brothers, worked very hard supporting the farms that they leased. They endured the depression as best they could as my mother finished school and worked as a beauty shop cosmetician.

Helen married William Franklin in Helen's late twenties and they moved from Texas; living in New Mexico, Nevada and finally relocating to California. Her husband did not serve in World War II, but instead had something to do with the Manhattan project up until the end of the war. Her son, William Franklin Jr., was born in 1946 when she was thirty-four years old. Helen was a homemaker who doted over raising a child and providing a safe and secure upbringing is a very middle class environment. Helen was an excellent seamstress, a great cook, and a person who had a strong commitment to friends and family. Her husband worked for a construction company that built most of the pipelines in the Midwest, East Coast, and Canada. While California was always home base, every year after the winter thaw was an adventure as the family moved from state to state following the pipeline construction process. Helen was a real trooper in supporting all of this travel and continued to provide an environment which nurtured her son's education and moral values.

Helen loved sports and was an avid fan of baseball, football and basketball. She loved to fish and travel. She will be dearly missed.

Helen Franklin is survived by her son, William Franklin Jr. and his wife, Lisa Hartung, two grandsons and one great granddaughter and one great grandson.