James E. Franklin

Mr. James E (Jim) Franklin, 85, of Canton, NY died peacefully with family members at his side on Monday, December 19th.

Mr. Franklin was born in Corry, PA to Benjamin and Evelyn Franklin on March 12, 1931.  He grew up in Wayland, NY and graduated from Clarkson University in 1954 with a degree in Civil Engineering and played football and soccer for the university.  For many years, Mr. Franklin owned his own construction company and built several roads and bridges throughout New York State. He later worked for an international engineering firm and built dams, hydroelectric plants, and irrigation systems in the United States and abroad in Egypt, Jamaica, and Botswana.

Mr. Franklin is remembered by many as a kind, jovial, positive and cheerful man that loved to serve others. Over his many years, he was involved in coaching youth teams, Boy Scouts, the Rotary, and served in many ministry capacities within his church.  In his short time in Canton, he could be seen serving community dinners with the Canton United Methodist Church, the Rotary Chuck-a-Puck, working the concession stand at Pee-Wee Baseball games, distributing books for the Little Library and spearheading several community programs.  He was a masterful builder and had great ingenuity. His loved spending time with family, woodworking, and sports. 

He was most recently married to Janet (Grover) Franklin, who preceded him in death in 2014.  He is survived by his sister Ms. Jeanette Fessenden (Wayland, IA); his brother Mr. Fred (Gwen) Franklin (McKinney, TX); and three children Mr. John (Lucy) Franklin (Tampa, FL), Mr. James (Sarah) Franklin (Canton, NY) and Mrs. Lisa (Mawethu) Ncaca (Durham, NC) and his five beloved grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held in his honor next summer. Memories and condolences may be shared online at www.olearyfuneralservice.com. 

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