Kern County CA Obituary Project Obituaries.....Franco Sr. , Charles August 1, 2005 ********************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/obits/obitsca/obitsca.htm ********************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: K T bluewolf@onemain.com August 5, 2005, 9:03 pm The Bakersfield Californian Franco Sr., Charles 1928 - 2005 Charles Franco Sr. April 14, 1928 - August 1, 2005 Rosary: Mon., Aug. 8, 7:00 p.m. Mass: Tues., Aug. 9, 9:00 a.m. A fighting soldier Strong and brave Leading Gods army to be saved A providing husband Tender and true With absolute love always anew A vibrant father With a name to keep Leaving his sake for the family to reap A giving Grandfather With a smile so bright Holding his grandchildren all through the night Strong and safe Now youll be Among all that has gone before thee With your mother And your father And your baby Son Thy soul will be done In our hearts we will hold you dear Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother you will always be near. Visitation will be held at Basham Funeral Care (3312 Niles St.) on Monday afternoon, August 8, 2005 from 3-5 p.m. and at St. Joseph Catholic Church (1515 Baker St.) Monday evening from 6-8:30 p.m. and the Rosary will be recited Monday evening at 7:00 p.m. Mass of the Christian Burial will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Tuesday morning August 9, 2005 at 9:00 a.m. and interment will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Park. Charles Franco, Sr. went home to be with our Lord on August 1, 2005. However, the legacy he left behind will carry on through the lives of his family. Charles was born April 14, 1928 in Bakersfield, CA. When he turned 21, Charles enlisted in the U.S. Army and served four years as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. He was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He proudly spoke of his paratrooper days and the time spent in the Army. It was also during that time when he met the love of his life, Irene. They fell in love and married August 24, 1950. They would have celebrated their 55th anniversary this year. After his service in the Army, Charles moved back to Bakersfield where he tried his hand in many different businesses. In 1968, Bakersfield Concrete and Construction was born through the strength and determination of Charles. With the support of his wife and help of his sons and daughters, he build Bakersfield Concrete and Construction to become a pillar business throughout Kern County. He was very dedicated to seeing his dream of the business to be family owned and operated, which it is to this day. With the specialty of curb and gutter, Charles was one of the first in Kern County to perfect the use and art of the curb and gutter machine. Many, many yards of creative concrete flow through the streets of Kern County at the hands of Charles. As the business grew, Charles expanded his endeavors to include building homes and masonry. Charles journey through life lead him to helping many people along the way. He especially loved to give to the various Catholic churches in Bakersfield. He was very generous in giving his time and talents to serve God. Charles loved spending time with his children and especially enjoyed his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was always so playful with them and had very special nicknames for all of them. He was a very strong and powerful man, but when he was around his pigs, he was a big teddy-bear. Charles is preceded in death by his mother, Tiburcia S. Franco; father, Camillo Franco; son, Thomas E. Franco; great-grandson, Daniel H. Castro Jr.; brother, Julio Franco; sister, Francis Villenueva and brother, Henry Franco. He leaves with loving memories, his wife, Irene Franco; daughter, Patricia A. Herrera and her husband, Karl R. Herrera; son, Mathew J. Franco and his wife, Maria C. Franco; son, Charles Franco Jr. and his wife, Trini Franco; son, Peter G. Franco and his wife, Cristina Franco; son, Joseph M. Franco and his wife, Sandra Franco; daughter, Camilla Garcia and her husband, William Garcia; and daughter, Priscilla Franco and her fiancé, Frank Lopez. He also leaves very precious memories with his grandchildren, Nicole M. Castro and her husband, Daniel P. Castro, Raquel A. Herrera, Victoria M. Hogan and her husband, Douglass K. Hogan, Jennifer S. Aborqui and her husband, Andre Aborqui, Moriah Franco, Stephanie R. Franco, Charlene A. Martinez and her husband, Manuel Martinez, Sonny Franco, John Paul Franco and his wife, Tina Franco, Peter Thomas Franco, Michael A. Franco, Christopher Franco, Andrea Hemingway and her husband, Jeff Hemingway, Joseph Franco Jr., Joshua Franco, Jacob Franco, Alexandra Franco, Jeremiah Franco, Angelica Franco, William Garcia, Armando Hernandez, Vincent Hernandez, Salina I. Zaragoza, James J. Zaragoza and Jordan Zargoza. Charles also leaves many dear memories with his great-grandchildren, Indian Summer Virginia Herrera Castro, Mathew Hogan, Kayla M. Hogan, Emilee I. Hogan, Savannah S. Aborqui, Andrea C. Aborqui, Brandon M. Martinez, Paul John Franco and Keira M. Hemingway. He is also survived by his sister, Mary Mendez; brother, Tony and wife, Ophelia Franco; sister, Josie Gallardo; sister, Juanita and husband, Andrew Cordova; sister, Lupe and husband, Stanley Perez and sister, Mary Lou and husband, Richard Rodriquez. Pallbearers with great honor will be Charles grandchildren: Raquel A. Herrera, Douglass K. Hogan, Sonny Franco, John Paul Franco, Joseph Franco Jr., William Garcia, James J. Zaragoza and Joshua Franco. Honorary Pallbearers will be Daniel P. Castro and Jacob Franco. We would like to say a very special thank you to Dr. Baer, who took the Franco family in and helped us all cope with everything God put in our paths. We are very blessed to have you in our lives. Thank you for your patience and dedication to us all. Dad, Ito, Great- Grandpa, we love you so very much and will miss you eternally. We know this is only a temporary time apart, for we will all be together in Gods time. Until then, we cant wait to see the beautiful concrete work you will have built for us all to enjoy in Heaven. For additional service or floral delivery information, please contact Basham Funeral Care at 873-8200. Basham Funeral Care Legacy.com Published in the Bakersfield Californian from 8/5/2005 - 8/6/2005. Additional Comments: Volunteer submission - No relation to deceased. Obituaries http://www.legacy.com/bakersfield/LegacyHome.asp File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/kern/obits/francosr8647gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/caobfiles/ File size: 6.8 Kb