Carl Willard Francis' Obituary
FRANCIS, CARL WILLARD was born May 19th, 1944 in Wayne County West Virginia to Oscar and Lula Francis. He passed away January 4th, 2013 and was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 46 years, Virginia Christie Francis, his children Carl and Lisa Francis, Jeff and Cynthia Francis, and Roberta Francis-Bryan and Kevin Bryan and was blessed with four grandchildren, Faith Francis, Britney Bryan, Connor Francis, and Logan Bryan. Carl is also survived by his siblings: Lillie Francis Hesson, Tom Francis, Dan Francis, Larry Francis, John Francis and Fred Francis. The family will receive friends on Monday, January 7th, 2013 from 6-8pm at Restland Funeral Home. Service will be held on Tuesday, January 8th, 2013 at 11am in the Memorial Chapel of Restland Funeral home. Carl was the oldest of seven children and grew up in his beloved hills of West Virginia. His beginnings were humble and he never forgot where he came from. He joined the Army right after High School and served in the Army as an Airborne Ranger, 82nd Airborne, 5th Special Forces in Laos and Vietnam, 1962 and ’63. After leaving the military, he moved to Texas where he met and married Virginia and began his 33-year career with the post office, retiring in November of 1999. Carl was a man with a commanding presence that drew instant respect from all who knew him and was loved by many. He was the quintessential family man, a community leader, football and soccer coach, and a great role model for every young person he had an opportunity to influence. Carl was a excellent cook and he and Virginia routinely entertained 30-50 friends and family members for birthdays and holidays. He became a friend, brother or father to many who had none. Carl wore many hats, had many titles, but perhaps his favorite was paw-paw. He dearly loved his “little people” (grandchildren), taking every opportunity to pick them up from school or take care of them during holiday work weeks. He was a great man who lived and embodied honesty, loyalty, honor, and biblical manhood. He left the world a much better place than when he found it and he will be sorely missed.
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