1926 - 2007
Former Clark resident Doris Florence Franz, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, great-great grandmother, aunt and friend, succumbed to cancer after a brief battle and went to be with her Lord and Savior on April 19, 2007, while staying with her two daughters in California. She was 81.
Doris and her twin sister were born into the family of John and Goldie Minson on March 5, 1926, in Coalton, Okla. Both infants contracted pneumonia at the age of four months, with only Doris surviving.
Losing her mother at the young age of 8, Doris' family struggled to meet life's challenges. With her father being a miner, the family followed the mining industry, living in Colorado Springs and Cameo before settling in Mount Harris, where Doris started school.
To assist the family with financial needs, Doris went to work at age 15 cleaning and cooking for a rancher, Milbank Franz, and his widowed mother. This was the beginning of a treasured 45-year relationship as a testimony to their love for one another.
Doris and Milbank were married July 11, 1941, and the family made Clark their home as ranchers until 1955, when they moved to Grand Junction.
Choosing the medical profession, Doris worked at the State Home and Training School in Grand Junction for 26 years, loving each child she came in contact with.
During retirement, she and her husband returned to the ranch many times to camp and enjoy their beloved home, and, of course, visit with old friends.
Doris' deep faith in and commitment to God sustained her through many of life's trials, including the loss of her youngest son, Bruce, during the Vietnam War in 1969, and the loss of her husband, Milbank, in 1986, and will continue to be an inspiration to the family she leaves behind.
With her passion for genealogy, she served as a missionary in the Salt Lake City Genealogy Library and the Denver Temple. She also was active in Fruita's LDS Relief Society and the Grand Junction Genealogical Library. As a longtime Fruita resident and dedicated servant of the Lord as an active member of the LDS Church, Doris cherished her family the most and quietly loved going about doing the work of the Lord.
Other hobbies included cooking, knitting, ceramics and crocheting, and it is said that most family members have "at least an afghan made by Grandma."
Doris was preceded in death by her husband on April 11, 1986; her son in December 1969; her parents; two brothers; and one sister.
She is survived by her twin daughters, Lila Royle and Lyda Gail Routh and her husband, Ed; daughter Esther and her husband, David McKinney; son Wayne and his wife, Kristine Franz; 11 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life was held April 24, 2007, at the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints in Fruita. Burial was at Elmwood Cemetery in Fruita.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado or to the Grand Junction Genealogical Library.
Arrangements are under the care and direction of Snell-McLean Funeral Home.
