Donnell H. Franken's Obituary
Donnell Henry Franken of Ft. Myers, FL died peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Tuesday December 4th, 2018. Born on February 3rd 1929 in Youngstown, Ohio, Don was 89 years old and served in the US Army as a Corporal, honorably discharged in 1951.Family and friends will celebrate a Funeral Mass for Don offered by Rev. Msgr. Stephen E. McNamara, V.F., V.G. at Church of the Resurrection of our Lord, 8121 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers, FL on Friday December 7th at 12:30PM. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to Hope Hospice of Ft. Myers: https://www.hopehcs.org/Give/Don grew up on the northside of Youngstown, Ohio, where, in 1948, he met Nancy Gebhardt who worked a summer job at his family’s dairy and bar, The Shamrock Bar and Grill. Don and Nancy were married on August 9,1951. They had 11 children. In 1977, Don and Nancy moved their large family to Ft. Myers, FL where he continued to live until his death.Don loved to golf, his daily crossword puzzle and, in later years, he enjoyed gardening and traveling with his wife Nancy.Preceded in death are Don’s Parents, Fred and Lillian Franken of Youngstown, his sister Mary Jane, brother Jack and sister Ginnie, all from the Youngstown area. He is also preceded in death by his sons, Mark Edward and Stephen Edward.Surviving family include his wife of 67 years Nancy J. Franken, his sister Sally Sloan of Tucson, AZ and his children: Fredrick D. Franken (Barbara, deceased), Thomas J. Franken (Julie), James A. Franken (Christine), David B. Franken (Shelly), Charlotte J. Bremseth (David), Beth A. Costaregni (Dan), Michael J. Franken (Julie), Peggy J. Phetterplace (Dean), Christopher W. Franken (Sophie), 11 Grandchildren and 4 Great Grandchildren, along with many nieces and nephews.To share a story or picture, leave a tribute or to offer condolences to the family at this difficult time please visit Donnell’s memorial webpage at www.fortmyersmemorial.com and sign his guestbook.
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