A. James (Jim) Franklin

Jim was born September 9, 1914 in Blue Earth the son of Floyd and Minna Franklin of Elmore. Jim was the grandson of Dr. A. James Franklin and Lillian (Nichols) Franklin of Blue Earth and Gottlieb & Anna (Schmidt) Goettel of Thompson Corners, Iowa.He was raised and educated in Verona Township, Blue Earth and in Elmore where he graduated from Elmore High School in 1932. During the Great Depression Jim worked near Plainview with the CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps. He and his brother Fritz enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 19, 1941 on the courthouse steps in Blue Earth. Jim married Dorothy E. "Dottie" Butler on September 20, 1942 in Benton, Arkansas. During his military service, Jim was a Master Sergeant and served 2 years in Myitkyina, Burma building the "Burma Road/Ledo Road" under Brig. General Lewis A. Pick, before his discharge in November of 1945. Following the war he was an apprentice in the monument business in Waukon, Iowa for four years, worked in Arizona mines and was a gas station attendant. Jim farmed the majority of his life north of Elmore and at his second farm in Guckeen, MN. He farmed full time to age 85. Jim was a longtime member of the Elmore United Methodist Church, a lifetime member of the Masons, Zurah Shrine, Order of the Eastern Star and VFW Post 4580. He also served 25 years on the United Hospital Board in Blue Earth and over 20 years on the Riverview Cemetery Board of Elmore. His hobbies included rock collecting, jewelry making and fishing. His greatest pleasures after retirement were being with family; his visits to Colorado looking for and finding magnificent wildlife, and his great-granddaughter.Jim is survived by his daughter, Sheri (& husband Steve) Wheeler of Loveland, Colorado, formerly of Rochester, MN, grandchildren, Annette (& husband Mark) Brock of Rochester, MN and Anthony Wheeler of Denver, Colorado. Also surviving is a great grandchild, Lauryn Brock of Rochester, MN.He was preceded in death by his parents, wife-Dottie in 1996, son- Mike Franklin in 1996 and brother Fritz Franklin and infant brother A. James Franklin, both of Elmore.