Son of Samuel H. Franklin and his wife,Frances "Fannie" J. Treadwell Franklin,who were married in Dekalb County, Georgia on 29 Apr 1900.
Frances was the daughter of Hardy Treadwell and his first wife,Mary C. Henry Treadwell,who were married in Newton County, Georgia on 7 Nov 1865.
The Rev. Forrest T. Franklin Sr.
By Richard Seven
The Rev. Forrest Treadwell Franklin Sr. loved a good fight almost as much as he loved God. And the two often went hand in hand for Franklin, a Baptist minister, boxer, war hero, English teacher and crusader.
Franklin died Friday after suffering a heart attack. He was 88.
``Daddy loved a struggle,'' said David, one of his seven children. ``He tried to pick them to coincide with what he believed in. He managed to make an enemy in the course of almost each day, but he also found many people to love.''
Said another son, Forrest Jr: ``Daddy told us to never start a fight but never walk away, either.''
Franklin was born Nov. 23, 1901, in Atlanta. After graduating from high school he briefly worked in a bank but soon attended and graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina and then Columbia Presbyterian Seminary in South Carolina.
A small man, he learned to box in high school and college and hired people to train him.
In the mid-to-late 1920s he served as a Presbyterian pastor of several churches in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia. He directed several small parishes at once until 1927 when his life took a sharp detour.
He worked in the steel mills of Birmingham, Ala., and then in the oil fields of west Texas. By about 1930 he decided to convert to the Southern Baptist religion and entered a seminary in Fort Worth.
He met his future wife, Bertha, in the registration line.He
graduated from the seminary and married Bertha in 1932.He then returned to Georgia where he became pastor of several Southern Baptist churches.
His family was subjected to hate-mail by Southern racists who resented his association with black ministers and parishioners.
In 1942, at age 41, he volunteered to work as a chaplain for the U.S. Army in World War II. He served in the Italian and Rhineland campaigns and won three Bronze Service Stars. At the Battle of Monte Cassino he wound up leading his battalion for a few days after the other officers were either killed or wounded.
His family did not discover he had won three Bronze Stars until after his death and David said his father never talked much about the war.
After receiving a master's degree in education from the University of Oklahoma in about 1956 he moved his family to Washington and became the second pastor of the First Baptist Church in Auburn. He also had master's degrees in English and theology.
He stayed with the church until about 1962 when he became a full-time teacher of English at Auburn High School.
``He had a lot of the bonehead people, the athletes who didn't always care and the hoods,'' said David. ``But he used bizarre methods like using The Reader's Digest as his textbook to get them interested. Many of his students kept in touch with him and would later be married by him.''
He retired from teaching in 1968 but continued producing his weekly newsletter that he started in 1956 and personally distributed until 1983.He not only mailed the newsletter to friends and family but also passed it out on Main Street in Auburn.
``Daddy would start at the tavern and make his way all the way down Main Street,'' said Forrest Jr. ``He didn't have a pulpit but a lot of people considered him their pastor. They came to him to get married, for funerals or to discuss problems.
``He was very blunt and didn't cut them much slack, but he was honest and I believe they knew it was because he cared about them.''
He read mysteries, was a member of the Kiwanis, and studied Latin and Greek. Yet David said it's hard to call anything he did a hobby.
``If he did something he did it with fervor,'' said David. ``It was never a model-airplane thing. To him, whatever he did counted.''
In 1984 Franklin and his wife moved to a retirement community in North Seattle and were members of the Richland Highlands Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife; daughters Ann Moore of Saratoga, Calif., Julia Teska of Langley, Okla., Ruth Smay of San Jose, Calif., Carol Franklin of Falls Church, Va.; sons Forrest Jr., Sam, and David, all of Seattle; a sister, Josephine Venable of Ellerslie, Ga.; and 11 grandchildren.
Funeral services were to be held today at the Richland Highlands Baptist Church. Burial was to be at Washington Memorial Park.
Frances was the daughter of Hardy Treadwell and his first wife,Mary C. Henry Treadwell,who were married in Newton County, Georgia on 7 Nov 1865.
The Rev. Forrest T. Franklin Sr.
By Richard Seven
The Rev. Forrest Treadwell Franklin Sr. loved a good fight almost as much as he loved God. And the two often went hand in hand for Franklin, a Baptist minister, boxer, war hero, English teacher and crusader.
Franklin died Friday after suffering a heart attack. He was 88.
``Daddy loved a struggle,'' said David, one of his seven children. ``He tried to pick them to coincide with what he believed in. He managed to make an enemy in the course of almost each day, but he also found many people to love.''
Said another son, Forrest Jr: ``Daddy told us to never start a fight but never walk away, either.''
Franklin was born Nov. 23, 1901, in Atlanta. After graduating from high school he briefly worked in a bank but soon attended and graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina and then Columbia Presbyterian Seminary in South Carolina.
A small man, he learned to box in high school and college and hired people to train him.
In the mid-to-late 1920s he served as a Presbyterian pastor of several churches in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia. He directed several small parishes at once until 1927 when his life took a sharp detour.
He worked in the steel mills of Birmingham, Ala., and then in the oil fields of west Texas. By about 1930 he decided to convert to the Southern Baptist religion and entered a seminary in Fort Worth.
He met his future wife, Bertha, in the registration line.He
graduated from the seminary and married Bertha in 1932.He then returned to Georgia where he became pastor of several Southern Baptist churches.
His family was subjected to hate-mail by Southern racists who resented his association with black ministers and parishioners.
In 1942, at age 41, he volunteered to work as a chaplain for the U.S. Army in World War II. He served in the Italian and Rhineland campaigns and won three Bronze Service Stars. At the Battle of Monte Cassino he wound up leading his battalion for a few days after the other officers were either killed or wounded.
His family did not discover he had won three Bronze Stars until after his death and David said his father never talked much about the war.
After receiving a master's degree in education from the University of Oklahoma in about 1956 he moved his family to Washington and became the second pastor of the First Baptist Church in Auburn. He also had master's degrees in English and theology.
He stayed with the church until about 1962 when he became a full-time teacher of English at Auburn High School.
``He had a lot of the bonehead people, the athletes who didn't always care and the hoods,'' said David. ``But he used bizarre methods like using The Reader's Digest as his textbook to get them interested. Many of his students kept in touch with him and would later be married by him.''
He retired from teaching in 1968 but continued producing his weekly newsletter that he started in 1956 and personally distributed until 1983.He not only mailed the newsletter to friends and family but also passed it out on Main Street in Auburn.
``Daddy would start at the tavern and make his way all the way down Main Street,'' said Forrest Jr. ``He didn't have a pulpit but a lot of people considered him their pastor. They came to him to get married, for funerals or to discuss problems.
``He was very blunt and didn't cut them much slack, but he was honest and I believe they knew it was because he cared about them.''
He read mysteries, was a member of the Kiwanis, and studied Latin and Greek. Yet David said it's hard to call anything he did a hobby.
``If he did something he did it with fervor,'' said David. ``It was never a model-airplane thing. To him, whatever he did counted.''
In 1984 Franklin and his wife moved to a retirement community in North Seattle and were members of the Richland Highlands Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife; daughters Ann Moore of Saratoga, Calif., Julia Teska of Langley, Okla., Ruth Smay of San Jose, Calif., Carol Franklin of Falls Church, Va.; sons Forrest Jr., Sam, and David, all of Seattle; a sister, Josephine Venable of Ellerslie, Ga.; and 11 grandchildren.
Funeral services were to be held today at the Richland Highlands Baptist Church. Burial was to be at Washington Memorial Park.
Son of Samuel H. Franklin and his wife,Frances "Fannie" J. Treadwell Franklin,who were married in Dekalb County, Georgia on 29 Apr 1900.
Frances was the daughter of Hardy Treadwell and his first wife,Mary C. Henry Treadwell,who were married in Newton County, Georgia on 7 Nov 1865.
The Rev. Forrest T. Franklin Sr.
By Richard Seven
The Rev. Forrest Treadwell Franklin Sr. loved a good fight almost as much as he loved God. And the two often went hand in hand for Franklin, a Baptist minister, boxer, war hero, English teacher and crusader.
Franklin died Friday after suffering a heart attack. He was 88.
``Daddy loved a struggle,'' said David, one of his seven children. ``He tried to pick them to coincide with what he believed in. He managed to make an enemy in the course of almost each day, but he also found many people to love.''
Said another son, Forrest Jr: ``Daddy told us to never start a fight but never walk away, either.''
Franklin was born Nov. 23, 1901, in Atlanta. After graduating from high school he briefly worked in a bank but soon attended and graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina and then Columbia Presbyterian Seminary in South Carolina.
A small man, he learned to box in high school and college and hired people to train him.
In the mid-to-late 1920s he served as a Presbyterian pastor of several churches in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia. He directed several small parishes at once until 1927 when his life took a sharp detour.
He worked in the steel mills of Birmingham, Ala., and then in the oil fields of west Texas. By about 1930 he decided to convert to the Southern Baptist religion and entered a seminary in Fort Worth.
He met his future wife, Bertha, in the registration line.He
graduated from the seminary and married Bertha in 1932.He then returned to Georgia where he became pastor of several Southern Baptist churches.
His family was subjected to hate-mail by Southern racists who resented his association with black ministers and parishioners.
In 1942, at age 41, he volunteered to work as a chaplain for the U.S. Army in World War II. He served in the Italian and Rhineland campaigns and won three Bronze Service Stars. At the Battle of Monte Cassino he wound up leading his battalion for a few days after the other officers were either killed or wounded.
His family did not discover he had won three Bronze Stars until after his death and David said his father never talked much about the war.
After receiving a master's degree in education from the University of Oklahoma in about 1956 he moved his family to Washington and became the second pastor of the First Baptist Church in Auburn. He also had master's degrees in English and theology.
He stayed with the church until about 1962 when he became a full-time teacher of English at Auburn High School.
``He had a lot of the bonehead people, the athletes who didn't always care and the hoods,'' said David. ``But he used bizarre methods like using The Reader's Digest as his textbook to get them interested. Many of his students kept in touch with him and would later be married by him.''
He retired from teaching in 1968 but continued producing his weekly newsletter that he started in 1956 and personally distributed until 1983.He not only mailed the newsletter to friends and family but also passed it out on Main Street in Auburn.
``Daddy would start at the tavern and make his way all the way down Main Street,'' said Forrest Jr. ``He didn't have a pulpit but a lot of people considered him their pastor. They came to him to get married, for funerals or to discuss problems.
``He was very blunt and didn't cut them much slack, but he was honest and I believe they knew it was because he cared about them.''
He read mysteries, was a member of the Kiwanis, and studied Latin and Greek. Yet David said it's hard to call anything he did a hobby.
``If he did something he did it with fervor,'' said David. ``It was never a model-airplane thing. To him, whatever he did counted.''
In 1984 Franklin and his wife moved to a retirement community in North Seattle and were members of the Richland Highlands Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife; daughters Ann Moore of Saratoga, Calif., Julia Teska of Langley, Okla., Ruth Smay of San Jose, Calif., Carol Franklin of Falls Church, Va.; sons Forrest Jr., Sam, and David, all of Seattle; a sister, Josephine Venable of Ellerslie, Ga.; and 11 grandchildren.
Funeral services were to be held today at the Richland Highlands Baptist Church. Burial was to be at Washington Memorial Park.
Frances was the daughter of Hardy Treadwell and his first wife,Mary C. Henry Treadwell,who were married in Newton County, Georgia on 7 Nov 1865.
The Rev. Forrest T. Franklin Sr.
By Richard Seven
The Rev. Forrest Treadwell Franklin Sr. loved a good fight almost as much as he loved God. And the two often went hand in hand for Franklin, a Baptist minister, boxer, war hero, English teacher and crusader.
Franklin died Friday after suffering a heart attack. He was 88.
``Daddy loved a struggle,'' said David, one of his seven children. ``He tried to pick them to coincide with what he believed in. He managed to make an enemy in the course of almost each day, but he also found many people to love.''
Said another son, Forrest Jr: ``Daddy told us to never start a fight but never walk away, either.''
Franklin was born Nov. 23, 1901, in Atlanta. After graduating from high school he briefly worked in a bank but soon attended and graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina and then Columbia Presbyterian Seminary in South Carolina.
A small man, he learned to box in high school and college and hired people to train him.
In the mid-to-late 1920s he served as a Presbyterian pastor of several churches in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia. He directed several small parishes at once until 1927 when his life took a sharp detour.
He worked in the steel mills of Birmingham, Ala., and then in the oil fields of west Texas. By about 1930 he decided to convert to the Southern Baptist religion and entered a seminary in Fort Worth.
He met his future wife, Bertha, in the registration line.He
graduated from the seminary and married Bertha in 1932.He then returned to Georgia where he became pastor of several Southern Baptist churches.
His family was subjected to hate-mail by Southern racists who resented his association with black ministers and parishioners.
In 1942, at age 41, he volunteered to work as a chaplain for the U.S. Army in World War II. He served in the Italian and Rhineland campaigns and won three Bronze Service Stars. At the Battle of Monte Cassino he wound up leading his battalion for a few days after the other officers were either killed or wounded.
His family did not discover he had won three Bronze Stars until after his death and David said his father never talked much about the war.
After receiving a master's degree in education from the University of Oklahoma in about 1956 he moved his family to Washington and became the second pastor of the First Baptist Church in Auburn. He also had master's degrees in English and theology.
He stayed with the church until about 1962 when he became a full-time teacher of English at Auburn High School.
``He had a lot of the bonehead people, the athletes who didn't always care and the hoods,'' said David. ``But he used bizarre methods like using The Reader's Digest as his textbook to get them interested. Many of his students kept in touch with him and would later be married by him.''
He retired from teaching in 1968 but continued producing his weekly newsletter that he started in 1956 and personally distributed until 1983.He not only mailed the newsletter to friends and family but also passed it out on Main Street in Auburn.
``Daddy would start at the tavern and make his way all the way down Main Street,'' said Forrest Jr. ``He didn't have a pulpit but a lot of people considered him their pastor. They came to him to get married, for funerals or to discuss problems.
``He was very blunt and didn't cut them much slack, but he was honest and I believe they knew it was because he cared about them.''
He read mysteries, was a member of the Kiwanis, and studied Latin and Greek. Yet David said it's hard to call anything he did a hobby.
``If he did something he did it with fervor,'' said David. ``It was never a model-airplane thing. To him, whatever he did counted.''
In 1984 Franklin and his wife moved to a retirement community in North Seattle and were members of the Richland Highlands Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife; daughters Ann Moore of Saratoga, Calif., Julia Teska of Langley, Okla., Ruth Smay of San Jose, Calif., Carol Franklin of Falls Church, Va.; sons Forrest Jr., Sam, and David, all of Seattle; a sister, Josephine Venable of Ellerslie, Ga.; and 11 grandchildren.
Funeral services were to be held today at the Richland Highlands Baptist Church. Burial was to be at Washington Memorial Park.
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