Obituary of John Reginald Franks, Jr.

John Reginald Franks Jr., 73, of Pocono Pines, died on Saturday, April 23, 2016, at VNA Hospice House in East Stroudsburg, surrounded by his family. He was the loving husband of Joan (Skelton) Franks with whom he shared 55 years of marriage. Born in East Stroudsburg, he was the son of the late John and Mabel (Keiper) Franks. He was a lifetime member of the Tobyhanna Township Volunteer Fire Department and the former owner and operator of John Franks Jr. and Son Masonry. John was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather who took part in all of his families activities, from sports to concerts and everything in between. He was an avid outdoorsman who had a passion for hunting, fishing, camping and took pleasure in spending many sunny days doing yard work with his wife, Joan. John was a former little league baseball coach for many teams and a member of the Monroe County and Eldred Beagles Clubs. He was also a big fan of both the Pocono Mountain West High School boys and girls basketball teams. In addition to his wife, Joan, he is survived by his son, John Franks and his wife, Anne, of Pocono Pines; daughters, Kim Franks of Pocono Pines and her companion, Tim Patterson, of Henryville and Yvonne Yankelitis and her husband, David, of Albrightsville; brothers, Ron Franks and his wife, Sally, of Effort and Barry Franks of Tobyhanna; grandchildren, Danielle, Tyler, Courtney, Casey and Tanner; and great-grandchildren, Mark and Bryce. The family will host a celebration of life from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 19 at Blanche Price Park, Pocono Pines. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in honor of John may be made to Penn State Thon, to support the fight against Pediatric Cancer, 227D HUB, University Park, PA 16802 or by visiting donate.thon.org.