Rob Francis and I shared a love for Francis genealogy and met through our mutual interest in a Francis Y-DNA project. This project identified twelve Francises who shared identical or closely related Y-DNAs. Rob contacted me by email, and since I live in Arlington, it was convenient for us to meet for lunch several times over a period of about a year. With Rob having such an outgoing personality and easy-going manner, I immediately counted him as a friend even though I had known him for only a short period of time. When I read his obituary, I was immediately drawn to the statement that he always had a special nickname for his friends. I was no exception. Once he found out that I was a retired professor of chemistry, I was known as “professor” from that point on. Rob and I contacted each of the other members of our Y-DNA group. We had begun a project to identify the common ancestors of all members of our group, but, unfortunately, it was no longer possible for Rob to work on the project. What a pleasure it was to know him. I will miss his genealogical expertise but most of all, his friendship.
Robert (Bob) Francis
Arlington, Texas