Charley O. Francis' Obituary
Charley O. Francis, a resident of Shamrock, Texas, died peacefully at his home on Sunday, May 25th after a brief illness. He was 80 years old. He was preceded in death by his father, Alzary O. and mother, Ila Jackson Fisher, as well as a brother Ronnie.
Charley was born in Erick, Oklahoma on November 15th, 1933, and was raised in Shamrock. His favorite “subjects” in high school were football and softball. He was quarterback of the Shamrock Fighting Irish his Jr. and Sr. years.
After graduating from Shamrock in 1952, Charley joined the Navy. He received training in Naval Telecommunications, eventually progressing to Radioman 3rd Class. Charley proudly served his country aboard (among other crafts) a minesweeping submarine. One of his most memorable moments at sea was personally receiving the telecommunication of the birth of his first child.
Upon his honorable discharge in 1956, Charley moved to California and joined the Modesto Police Department in the Communications (dispatch) department. He quickly progressed to Police Officer, then Detective. He later received his A.A. degree from Modesto Jr. College in Criminal Justice. It was during this time that his second child was born.
It was in 1966, while working as a police officer, that he met Nona (Farley), a newly hired dispatcher. They had their first date in May of 1967. Charley, never one to waste time when he knew what he wanted, proposed in early August of that year. He made it clear that he was not only proposing to her, but that he was accepting her two children from a previous marriage and her live-in mother into his heart as well. They were married on August 27th, 1967.
In the mid 60’s, Charley began bowling. What began as a hobby later became one of his life’s great passions. During his 30+ years at the sport, he won numerous tournaments and received countless awards, including one for a perfect 300 game. For approximately 20 years, he was the Secretary of the NorCal Travel League, and held numerous offices in the Modesto Bowling Association, including President (1993 – 1995). In October of 2014, Charley will be inducted into the Modesto Bowling Hall of Fame, an honor for which he was immensely proud.
Another hobby which Charley threw his energy into was genealogy. He and Nona began researching the Francis family in the mid 80’s. Over the years they amassed a family tree consisting of about 1500 members, dating from 1727 to the present. Thanks to this research, Charley established an extended family of “cousins” that stretches from coast to coast and border to border. He looked forward to their annual family reunions that brought together people from across the country.
In 2004, Charley and Nona retired to Shamrock, Texas. It was an exhausting 2 year search to settle on their new home. They both knew that Shamrock was the right town when he was recognized in a local store by someone who remembered him as the high school quarterback. The small town in which he had grown up was once again home.
Charley will be greatly missed by his family, including his loving wife Nona (of Shamrock, TX), son Terry (of Rocklin, CA), daughter Deb St. Clair (of Salida, CA), son Rick (and wife Jamie of Linden, CA), daughter Kristi (and husband Michael James of Citrus Heights, CA), daughter-in-law Bonnie (of Rocklin, CA), his 4 grandchildren; Kelly, Lindsay, Mary, and Jared, 3 great-grandchildren, brothers Jimy (of Amarillo, TX), Don (and Marilyn of Erick, OK), Jon Paul (and Sue of Warner Robbins, GA), several nieces and nephews, and hundreds of “cousins” all over the country.
His family wishes to thank the caring staffs of the Shamrock General Hospital and the NW Texas Heart Hospital CCU for their kindness and compassion in his final days.
A memorial service will be held at the Robertson Funeral Home in Shamrock, TX on Thursday, May 29th at 11:00am. Viewing will begin at 10:30am. Charley will be laid to rest at the Lakewood Memorial Park in Hughson, CA where a graveside service will be held at 9:00am on Saturday, May 31st.
In lieu of flowers, the family appreciates donations to the Shamrock American Legion Christmas Toy fund, or the Modesto CA Bowling Association Jr. League.
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