Born October 17, 1936, and died March 27, 2024
Molly Sue Evans Franklin passed away on March 27, surrounded by her three daughters and the love and support of those who cared for her at Rehab Select at Shelby Ridge in Alabaster.
She was a devoted mother to Judy Franklin DeMartino, Karen Franklin Denton, and Ami Franklin; doting grandmother to James Rogers and Chris Britton; and adoring great-grandmother to Adam and Will North. She also nurtured many nieces and nephews, all of whom loved her deeply, in her tightly knit extended family. Sue defied stereotype by being the sweetest mother-in-law ever to Prentice Denton, Chris McCaleb, and the late Fred DeMartino; and the best grandmother-in-law to Holly Rogers and Ed Britton.
Born in 1936 in Windham Springs, Alabama, Sue enjoyed singing and playing guitar with members of her large, musical family. She was the last of her beloved siblings—Malcolm Dee Evans, Angeline Evans Wheat, Neal Evans, Willie Dale Evans, and Rachel Evans Glover.
She married Buck Franklin in 1952 and they settled in Northport. When she wasn’t busy raising her three girls, Sue worked at Prescription Center and made longtime friends there. She also worked at T.R. Taylor Drug in Tuscaloosa for a number of years.
Friendly and sociable until the very end, Sue was always quick to pull together an impromptu fish fry for 30 or more family members after her brothers and mother had gone fishing. The carport of her and Buck’s home at the end of Lower Forty Road in Northport was the site of many such fun get-togethers, which most often ended with some sangin’ and pickin.’ And, oh, how she loved to nurture flowers, plants, fruits, and vegetables to nourish her family and beautify their land.
In 1999, Sue moved to Helena and became an active and cherished member of her new community, especially enjoying Friday nights playing cards and eating a potluck dinner with her dear friends in the Helena Seniors Program. She attended Community Baptist Church in Maylene for many years.
Sue was generous, warm, and so very special—easy to be around, quick with a laugh, and quite possessed of her own opinions and unafraid to express them at a time when that was not common for women; she taught her daughters to have that same confidence and strength of spirit. She was a source of great love and much joy until her last day. Her caring spirit is already sorely missed but will continue to bloom in the heart of everyone who knew her for as long as they live.
Family and friends are invited to celebrate Sue’s life on Saturday, April 6, at 11:00 a.m. at The Episcopal Church of St. Francis of Assisi at 3545 Cahaba Valley Road, Indian Springs, AL, 35124. If you would like to honor Sue, the family requests that in lieu of flowers you make a gift to the church’s Flower Fund at https://www.saintfrancisindiansprings.org/give
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