He was born in Locarno, Switzerland on August 1, 1932 and moved to New York City when he was 2 years old. He was a U.S. Army veteran, who graduated from Yale University in 1957 and married his wife Janet shortly thereafter. They began their lives together in the northeast and over time migrated south, settling in the Atlanta metropolitan area in 1972. He is survived by his wife (of 62 years) Janet, and five children: Linda Serra (Rich), Lisa Stilwell (Dean), Louis (“Chip”) Franzoni, Jr. (Dorothy), Brenda Padgett (Carl), Christopher Franzoni (Laura), as well as twelve grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.
When asked about his profession, Lou would reply “teacher,” despite having been a successful insurance executive for the first 30 years of his career. He did his student teaching at Dunwoody High School, where all five of his children graduated. He then taught science classes at Crestwood, Riverwood, and Chattahoochee High Schools. He received a number of awards for his teaching “flair” and was proud of his student-bestowed nickname “Mr. Fran the Man.”
He and Janet were faithful members of St. Jude’s Catholic Church. Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, the funeral Mass will be restricted to immediate family members only.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18