James Michael Franes

In Loving Memory of James Michael Franes February 2, 1947 - August 21, 2020 James, or Jim, as his friends and family called him, began his life in the small town of Bluefield, WV. He was the only child to Vivian and Tony Franes. Although he had no siblings, he had many cousins nearby that he often played with. Being an only child, Jim was often spoiled by Tony, and especially, Vivian. He was always at the center of their love. Both of his parents were teachers so he was raised with an emphasis on education. He was always great with numbers and excelled in Math. He also expressed a fascination with aircraft & travel from a young age. This would later result in Jim attaining a pilot’s license and earning a degree in Aviation. In addition to being a teacher, his dad, Tony, was also an accomplished athlete & well respected coach. This led to Jim learning to play many sports. He showed the most interest in Baseball & Football. Throughout his childhood, he worked for the owner of a local Minor League baseball club. He later had a short stint as a player for the club. Football was also a major passion of Jim’s and he played it throughout High School. After High School, Jim went on to college where he would ultimately earn an MBA. By having both a Father and a Grandfather who had served the United States in foreign wars, Jim was inspired to join the U.S. Air Force. He enlisted and served as a Medic in the Vietnam War. During his time in the military, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. He then took the opportunity to become an Officer. He worked most of his 20 year career in the Air Force as an Air Traffic Controller. The last few years, he worked in Accounting & Finance. Throughout his career, he was able to travel quite a bit. In the early 1980’s, he was stationed in Germany & during this time, he took his family to visit several other European countries. Early in his military career, he met and married Ruth Franes (div.) and together, they had two children; Heather (1972) and Tony (1975). Jim was a very dedicated father. He was always supportive in his children’s interests. He and Ruth introduced their children to many hobbies. Along with accomplishing all his career & academic goals, family was always what was most important to Jim. He loved spending time with his children & grandchildren. He is survived by his daughter, Heather (John) & grandson, Patrick of Meridian, ID and his son, Tony (DeeDee) & grandchildren, Ethan, Sabella, and Linkin of Las Vegas, NV. A Live streaming of the Funeral Service can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/holyapostles.church/live_videos/ the day of the service.